Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
Reviewed by mike
Cuter-than-a-button Jenny Lewis gets a little dirty on Rilo Kiley's major-label debut Under the Blacklight, but many of the band"s loyal fans are going to attribute her overt sexuality and Rilo"s polished sound directly to selling out. There are some great songs ("15," "The Angels Hung Around"), but Blacklight feels like an unfocused effort at times, eschewing the solid songwriting of past releases for big hooks and monster choruses that never venture very deep, while stylistically jumping from 80s ready-for-MTV pop to disco-funk to Lilith Fair-sounding rock. Melodically it's a flawless record and Lewis' Neko Case-meets-Edie Brickell voice is in fine form, but hearing her carry on about she's "ready to go" feels a little too calculated considering where they've come from and where it seems they're trying to go. [www.rilokiley.com]