January 24, 2006

Girl Power

Jenny Lewis’s “Rabbit Fur Coat”

You’re dying to know who cuts her hair, where she bought that vintage dress, and how she knew to pair it with those super cool riding boots. If only you could muster the courage to ask her.

If this sounds familiar, then you’re prone to the proverbial girl crush.

In which case we’re willing to wager Ms. Jenny Lewis will be the object of your next infatuation.

You might already have adored her as the front woman for L.A.’s indie sweethearts Rilo Kiley. Now she’s bound to melt your heart with Rabbit Fur Coat, her debut solo album. Like a less throaty but equally sultry Dusty Springfield (a yesteryear crush), the Kentucky harmonies of the Watson Twins bring out a Southern twang in Lewis’s soulful ballads. So don’t be shocked to find a little gospel in the lyrics.

Speaking to those nagging inner contradictions, her songs seem to be saying: “Reality bites, but I still believe in unicorns anyway.”

Which is just how you would have wanted to put it.

So, of course, you’re dying to know how she came up with it.

Available online at amazon.com. To hear tracks, go to team-love.com.