2 1/2 out of 5
My first impression is that "The Voyager" is Jenny Lewis' identity crisis as a recording artist put on tape. In many ways these ten songs are pure pop perfection, culling the best of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Bonnie Raitt, then giving them a twenty first century gloss that leaves the individual tracks sun baked in a foreboding nostalgia I haven't heard since "Into The Great Wide Open", but the majority are lacking any inherent authenticity. The problem here is that under all the slick production and bliss inducing harmonies, Jenny Lewis' musical personality gets lost in the lofty ambition of the record to sound at home next to the best of the Laurel Canyon singers of the 70's. I won't lie, I'm not a huge fan of her back catalog, but one thing that is unarguable is that she has a beautifully distinct voice: one that can soar with the best of vocalists while still retaining a vulnerability that is uniquely hers. The problem is that her signature voice doesn't show up until the fourth track, "Slippery Slopes", while the three cuts building up to it have an absence of the inflection that makes her vocals unique. First single "Just One Of The Guys" is a somewhat forced anthem directed at Millenials, that when compared to the rest of the album feels out of place with its' radio-pop bounce and inoffensive sugary chorus. Elsewhere, groups like The Bangles are summoned up from the bowels of the 80's on "Love U Forever", an amalgamation of jangly New-Wave chords, crisp percussion and sickly sweet lyrics that almost come off as a parody of Taylor Swift. The standout track on the album is "The New You" where the Heartland Rock influences and her personal style coalesce in a pleasantly subdued cut that might easily be one of her best songs. In most instances I found myself playing pick the influence, whether it was Stevie Nicks or the Go Gos, but genuinely wanting to hear Jenny Lewis instead. This leaves the album with the impression that it's less of a concise effort and is instead a sampler of styles, and once all the reviews come in and get assessed the style of her next album will be chosen. Overall, it's an okay affair full of lush songs that are mostly ineffectual and safe for casual listeners without going so deep into radio pop that it will drive away long term fans.
My first impression is that "The Voyager" is Jenny Lewis' identity crisis as a recording artist put on tape. In many ways these ten songs are pure pop perfection, culling the best of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Bonnie Raitt, then giving them a twenty first century gloss that leaves the individual tracks sun baked in a foreboding nostalgia I haven't heard since "Into The Great Wide Open", but the majority are lacking any inherent authenticity. The problem here is that under all the slick production and bliss inducing harmonies, Jenny Lewis' musical personality gets lost in the lofty ambition of the record to sound at home next to the best of the Laurel Canyon singers of the 70's. I won't lie, I'm not a huge fan of her back catalog, but one thing that is unarguable is that she has a beautifully distinct voice: one that can soar with the best of vocalists while still retaining a vulnerability that is uniquely hers. The problem is that her signature voice doesn't show up until the fourth track, "Slippery Slopes", while the three cuts building up to it have an absence of the inflection that makes her vocals unique. First single "Just One Of The Guys" is a somewhat forced anthem directed at Millenials, that when compared to the rest of the album feels out of place with its' radio-pop bounce and inoffensive sugary chorus. Elsewhere, groups like The Bangles are summoned up from the bowels of the 80's on "Love U Forever", an amalgamation of jangly New-Wave chords, crisp percussion and sickly sweet lyrics that almost come off as a parody of Taylor Swift. The standout track on the album is "The New You" where the Heartland Rock influences and her personal style coalesce in a pleasantly subdued cut that might easily be one of her best songs. In most instances I found myself playing pick the influence, whether it was Stevie Nicks or the Go Gos, but genuinely wanting to hear Jenny Lewis instead. This leaves the album with the impression that it's less of a concise effort and is instead a sampler of styles, and once all the reviews come in and get assessed the style of her next album will be chosen. Overall, it's an okay affair full of lush songs that are mostly ineffectual and safe for casual listeners without going so deep into radio pop that it will drive away long term fans.
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