What a difference getting away from your band can make. After Rilo Kiley's extremely over-produced 2007 album Under the Blacklight, Jenny Lewis has seen fit to go in an entirely different direction with her second solo record Acid Tongue. By jettisoning all things slick (and The Watson Twins as well for that matter), Lewis has crafted a record that is certainly her most off-the-cuff and laid back effort thus far (with many friends and a slew of guest musicians playing throughout.)

The one track alone that makes Acid Tongue worth hunting down is the sprawling "The Next Messiah" that clocks in at over nine minutes and has more tempo changes than you can shake a stick at. Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel of She & Him show up to sing harmonies and singers Jonathan Rice and Benji Hughes also pop in to add some stunning verses. Needless to say Lewis is well connected and those connections just keep popping up all over Acid Tongue, especially when Elvis Costello & The Imposters help belt out the grand duet that is "Carpetbaggers" near the tail end of the album. Acid Tongue from start to finish sounds as if it were a pleasure for Lewis and company to make and needless to say most should find this record a joy to repeatedly listen to - the album's title notwithstanding.