Jenny And Johnny Album Review

Story by Courtesy Photo 

| Published Sep 7, 2010

By Andrew Stellmon

Unless your dial has been stuck on Top 40 radio for the better part of the last few years, it would be hard to miss the overwhelming surge of guy-and-girl, couple or not, indie rock collaborations. Even so, there still exists no clear standard for acts to follow.

Instead, new music couples have been carving their own niches into the sub-genre, and Jenny and Johnny are no different. Though they have been writing music and touring together for a few years, the it’s-about-time indie rock pairing of Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice — the two are an item — had until now only contributed to each other's material.

Jenny and Johnny's joint debut album “I'm Having Fun Now” stands as a departure from projects the two have recently worked on together. In typical Jenny Lewis fashion, the lyrics tread serious and somber, if at times very dark, subject matter.

For this effort, however, the upbeat pop-rock sound puts a new spin on things for Lewis. Listeners will be able to gather that she and Rice have been working together frequently. The two have managed to fit Lewis's voice into a style more reminiscent of Rice's originals rather than the indie rock of Rilo Kiley or Lewis's solo albums.

“I'm Having Fun Now” chugs along quite nicely, pausing only in the middle for mellow folk numbers. The album is short, sweet and simple; what it lacks in musical depth it makes up for in funness and lyrical complexity.

While not accomplishing anything terribly new, the interesting combination of music sensibilities on “I'm Having Fun Now” make it an enjoyable listen and certainly place Jenny and Johnny in the upper half of guy-girl music talents.