You'd be forgiven for being mystified about the direction Jenny Lewis' debut solo outing might take. Though her work with LA indie popsters Rilo Kiley remains charming and palatable, it never really coloured outside the lines. However, her sometime collaborations with the indietronic Postal Service were a heartening progression, and the first sign that her talent had hidden depths. To make such a gargantuan leap to the folk/country/gospel leanings of Rabbit Fur Coat, then, was a commendable shift in direction. Fortunately it's executed very, very convincingly indeed. From the beautiful acapella opener Run Devil Run, which sees Lewis harmonising sublimely with Watson twins Leigh and Chandra - a skill they further embellish over the course of the album - to the dulcet intonations of Melt Your Heart or the weaving of a family tale on the stripped-down title track, Rabbit Fur Coat is a testament to the singer's singular and versatile talent. Displaying a voice that's adept at both breaking your heart and mending it again, and a clever turn of phrase that sets her apart from her contemporaries ('I'm in love with illusion/so saw me in half' - You Are What You Love), this is an album with too many highlights to mention - though her cover of the Travelling Willburys' Handle With Care with indie chums M Ward, Conor Oberst and Ben Gibbard certainly deserves one. By track ten, momentum is in danger of being lost, but at only 38 minutes long it hardly outstays its welcome. Music has found a new crossover heroine.
