Hooray! Jenny Lewis is back!!! Ohhhh, how I miss Rilo Kiley.
Celebrated California singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis has debuted her new single, “Just One Of The Guys,” taken from her forthcoming album The Voyager, which will be released by Warner Bros. Records on July 29th. The album is now available for pre-order today from all participating digital retailers. Those who pre-order will receive an instant download of “Just One Of The Guys.”
“Just One Of The Guys” was produced by Beck, who also contributes backing vocals. “It was one of the tunes I’d tried a few different ways before I finally recorded it with Beck at his home studio in Malibu,” Lewis says. “The whole experience was super laid-back – walking on the beach, talking about movies, the Rolling Stones, and French pop music. It was just very mellow and lovely.”
Beck is one of several artists Lewis chose to produce tracks on The Voyager, which also features production from Ryan Adams, alongside Mike Viola, as well as her longtime collaborator, Johnathan Rice. The Voyager is the former Rilo Kiley frontwoman’s third solo album and first in six years, following 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat (with The Watson Twins) and 2008’s Acid Tongue. It finds the always relatable songwriter at her sharp-witted best, singing about her recent experiences with honesty and incisiveness.
The Voyager is Lewis’s most deeply personal album to date, documenting her struggle to cope following the death of her estranged father in 2010 and the subsequent break-up of Rilo Kiley. The Voyager‘s rootsy, golden glow comes courtesy of Lewis and the artists she chose to produce various tracks, including Ryan Adams (who, alongside Mike Viola, produced all but three of the tracks), Beck, and Lewis’ longtime collaborator Johnathan Rice. The Voyager finds the always relatable songwriter at her sharp-witted best, singing about her recent experiences with honesty and incisiveness.
“Making The Voyager got me through one of the most difficult periods of my life,” she says. “After Rilo Kiley broke up and a few really intense personal things happened, I completely melted down. It nearly destroyed me. I had such severe insomnia that, at one point, I didn’t sleep for five straight nights. Many of the songs on The Voyager came out of the need to occupy my mind in the moments when I just couldn’t shut down.”
After several years of writing new material, Lewis took 2013 off to tour with The Postal Service. Sharing the spotlight was a freeing experience, providing the realization that she needed to give up control in order to move forward. While on the road, she reached out to Ryan Adams to record at his newly built studio, Pax Am, at Sunset Sound. Her first day back from tour, she went into the studio with Adams and his partner Mike Viola, and found the creative collaboration she was missing.
“Ryan and I didn’t know each other very well before this album — we had hardly even listened to one another’s music, to be honest. But I trusted the vision, and Ryan ended up being the person to get me over the fear of finishing something I’d been working on for so long. This record was the hardest one I ever made,” she says. “The Voyager tells that story: the longest night of my life and the journey to finally getting some rest.”
In other Jenny Lewis news, the sometimes actress also appears in the June 5th episode of IFC’s Comedy Bang Bang as a musical co-host filling in for Reggie Watts and singing a duet with Zach Galifianakis. She is on tour throughout the summer, including several dates with Ray LaMontagne, as well as appearances at Lollapalooza and the Outside Lands Festival. Lewis will also perform a hometown show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on August 9th. See below for all tour dates.
- June 4 Portland, ME State Theatre w/ Kurt Vile
- June 6 New York, NY Governor’s Ball (Randall’s Island)
- June 7 Washington DC 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
- July 6 Toronto, ON Urban Roots Festival
- July 8 Ottawa, ON Ottawa Blues Fest
- July 10 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 11 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Performing Arts Center w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 12 Miami, FL The Fillmore w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 15 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 16 Charleston, SC North Charleston PAC w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 18 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 19 Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 20 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
- July 22 Interlochen, MI Kresge Auditorium w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 23 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens w/ Ray LaMontagne
- July 25 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
- July 26 Camden, NJ XpoNential Music Festival w/Ryan Adams
- July 27 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls
- July 31 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe at Old National Centre
- Aug 2 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza SOLD OUT
- Aug 3 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
- Aug 9 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
- Aug 10 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Festival SOLD OUT
- Oct 3-5 Austin, TX Austin City Limits
- Oct 10-12 Austin, TX Austin City Limits
Musically Amusing 