Jenny Lewis

Acid Tongue (Warner Bros.)

Relish Jenny Lewis’ Acid Tongue wherever it flickers. Inserted in the same juicy ear as 2007’s glowing hook-fest Under the Blacklight, “Black Sand” draws its line through similarly piano-whetted tales of romantic dalliances. “Pretty Bird” then lands in Kate Bush’s aviary. So begins the album’s manipulative yin-yang, “The Next Messiah” walking a divine bassline before “Badman’s World” wanders into pensive James Brown territory. Then the title cut strums one of Lewis’ greatest hits, delivered with the Hollywood screen-queen confidence of her first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat (2006). “See Fernando” cues up next like ABBA. Debuted on Blacklight‘s world tour along with Tongue‘s B-grade “Carpetbaggers” (with Elvis Costello) and B-movie “Jack Killed Mom,” it adds to the LP’s hodgepodge feel and sequencing stumble. Simple piano/bass head-bob “Sing a Song” closes, reaffirming that Jenny Lewis’ tongue lashings can’t be matched for cheap thrills. (5:45pm, WaMu stage.)

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This article appears in September 26 • 2008.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.