When I ordered those four new albums a week ago, I didn’t expect my runaway favorite to be Jenny Lewis’ The Voyager.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Jenny Lewis. Her first two solo albums, Rabbit-Fur Coat and Acid Tongue, are sharp, melodic and ambitious. But neither really grabbed me and shook me the way this latest record has.
Every once in awhile, an album comes along that has the perfect combination of songwriting, sound and theme. This is one of those. Every one of its ten tracks is memorable lyrically and musically, and the production (by Ryan Adams) gives them room to breathe. The sound is very West Coast, very Fleetwood Mac.
Lewis writes with real heart about the loves and losses of a woman approaching 40. A couple of songs (including today’s SOTD) allude to her ticking biological clock, while others celebrate the freedom of single life.
Standout track ‘Late Bloomer,’ a musical short story about a teen who stumbles into an unlikely romance in Paris, is my favorite song of the year so far.
To my ear, The Voyager doesn’t have a weak moment. The record it reminds me of most, in spirit and sometimes in sound, is Carly Simon’s No Secret. It’s that good.
But the girls are still staying young
If I get caught being rude in a conversation
With a child bride on a summer vacation
No matter how hard I try to be just one of the guys
There’s a little something inside that won’t let me
No matter how hard I try to have an open mind
There’s a little voice inside that prevents me
It’s how I live, You got me here,
Locked in this bathroom full of tears
And I have begged for you and I have borrowed
But I’ve been the only sister to my own sorrow
No matter how hard I try to be just one of the guys
There’s a little something inside that won’t let me
No matter how hard I try to have an open mind
There’s a little clock inside that keeps tickin’
There’s only one difference between you and me
When I look at myself, all I can see:
I’m just another lady without a baby
No matter how hard I try to be just one of the guys
There’s a little something inside that won’t let me
No matter how hard I try to have an open mind
There’s a little cop inside that prevents me
I’m not gonna break for you
I’m not gonna pray for you
I’m not gonna pay for you
That’s not what ladies do
Dah dah-dah dah-dah…
Meet Me In Montauk 
High praise, indeed! You’ve got me curious. I like today’s song and the video is cute.
high praise indeed, not sure I think it’s “No Secret” material though. Is that Kristen Stewart playing in the background?
It is, indeed, along with Anne Hathaway and Brie Larson.
Ha, didn’t pick up on Anne Hathaway and I don’t really know Brie Larson, thanks!