Issue date: 1/31/06 Section: Aggielife

Courtesy of Team Love Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis got help from The Watson Twins for her first solo release.

You may have heard of Jenny Lewis, and whether you know it or not, you've probably watched or heard one of her performances. With her new album "Rabbit Fur Coat," the Rilo Kiley front woman and former child actress has embarked upon her solo musical career.

This is the same Jenny Lewis that backs up Ben Gibbard on your favorite songs from The Postal Service, the same Jenny Lewis who got her start in a Jell-O commercial in the 1980s and proceeded to be seen in many TV shows and movies. You might have known her as the girl who was Ben's first kiss on "Growing Pains," or maybe you saw her in the Nintendo movie "The Wizard," along with Fred Savage and a mullet-sporting Tobey Maguire, or possibly you picked her out as Christin in "Pleasantville."

Lewis' latest project on her extensive resume is a collaboration with fellow indie musicians The Watson Twins. "Rabbit Fur Coat" melds Lewis' trademarked storytelling with the steady folk style of Chandra and Leigh Watson to create a throwback sound to the older days of country. This album could have easily come out in the mid-1950s. This is very much a country album, but you will not hear anything akin to Trace Adkin's "Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk." Lewis and the Watson Twins have created a masterpiece that fans of both country and indie-rock will love.

In addition to the Watson Twins' help, the album features guest appearances from indie stars Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service), M. Ward (who also produced four of the tracks) and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) on a superb cover of The Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care." This song is practically an anthem for all of the "emo kids" out there (if you're a Bright Eyes fan, this will be the one you listen to over and over again), and Lewis and her crew do an excellent job performing it.

Lewis' sarcasm and wit show up time and time again throughout the album, but the songs are full of honesty and openness, too. She tackles her childhood on the title track "Rabbit Fur Coat" and the issue of spirituality on songs like "Born Secular" and "The Charging Sky." Songs on the album feel like they are one part Rilo Kiley and one part Johnny Cash, with that "steady-like-a-train" feel to them to counter Lewis' vocals and lyrics. This album is one you should definitely pick up if you are already a Lewis fan, and if you've ever liked Johnny Cash, you should at least give this a try.

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