On the Line [VINYL]

Anyone who saw Jenny on one of her shows last summer will have heard her preview some of the songs on this, her long awaited follow-up to The Voyager. Normally an excuse to go to the bar, they were arguably the standout songs of the evening. And here they all are, just as glorious as you remembered - 'Heads Gonna Roll', 'Party Clown' and 'Wasted Youth' just the highlights. She is in sparkling form here, backed by the likes of Ringo Starr, Beck and Jim Keltner, and frankly anyone who can sing 'the cookie crumbles' as a refrain as she does in 'Wasted Youth' can to my ears do no wrong.

I purchased this CD on the strength of Jenny Lewis's previous imaginative releases such as Rabbit Fur Coat and The Voyager which I really enjoy. But oh dear what a disappointment this latest CD is.I really like the persona of Jenny Lewis: smart, sexy and intelligent and an author of off-beat yet catchy pop songs. So it's a bit hard to give On the Line a mediocre review. But 'Heads gonna roll' is too close to Wonderwall by Oasis. 'Hollywood Lawn' sounds like 'Knocking on Heavens Door' by Eric Clapton. 'Red Bull and Hennessy' shows promise but as time passes becomes a Fleetwood Mac-clone that can only be stopped from going on indefinitely by a car crash of an ending that sounds like the CD is damaged. (Oh how I laughed).The rest is just unoriginal AOR rock that could have come from any of the last 40 years with its tales of too much sex, drugs, unfulfilled relationships and LA sunshine. There is a sprinkling of big name guest musicians but this amounts to nothing.Perhaps Ms Lewis showing her assets so prominently on the cover was a warning that this wasn't a CD to treasure for its music. Hoping for better next time Jenny.

Beautifully played, immaculately produced and featuring her best vocals to date; this is a superb album. Most importantly, the songs are uniformly excellent...such great tunes.

The front cover photo reveals her hidden beauty spot between her tastefully covered breasts . The band she employs has some stellar musicians, Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner on drums; Ryan Adams on guitar; Don Was on bass, which raises expectations for something special to come.However, for me none of the tracks stand out as that memorable, indeed some are rather derivative, such as Red Bull and Hennessy for Rumours era Fleetwood Mac; and Hollywood Lawn for Knocking on Heavens Door. In general the tracks tend to drift by, her singing is OK, her singing voice is clear, but the songs are too similar in pace and tone, and there are no real stand out tracks that shine through.Some of her earlier albums have been favorites of mine. Perhaps it is all a bit too slick, with the high class session musicians playing well, but lacking the gelling together that a proper long term band exhibit. Technically fine, but lacking charisma and spark, all too similarly in pace and tone, it glides by without hitting the sweet spot for me, and no real ear worm hooks that draw me in.Sometimes records can be a slow burner, and initial immediate impressions give way to more favour with repeated listens, but that was not the case with this album. After repeated plays, then revisiting it after a long gap, it still failed to engage me or really impress. A great pity, as previously the tunes and singing from her and her band have been spot on ,with some real memorable highlights, but this disc just did not deliver anything special for me. Probably the best track for me is Little White Dove, her singing seems a bit more impassioned, with a better more catchy chorus, but still well below what she has done elsewhere on earlier albums.

I just can stop playing this album. The singing is exquisite and there really isn't a weak track on the Album. Little White Dove and Hollywood Lawns and fabulous audio adventures. A classic piece of Americana.

Absolutly fantastic. As good as previous works if not better

A rare album where every track is of top quality. Jenny has surpassed herself this time and it was a real privilege to see her do a fantastic show in Nottiingham recently

Amidst the luxurious musical arrangements lies a collection of emotionally charged, bittersweet tales of love and loss, underpinned with wry humour and that beating heart. A truly wonderful album.