I'm Having Fun Now

Jenny And Johnny | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B003VSMOZW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,931 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice have been collaborating on and off for years, each contributing to the other's solo records and live shows, but with this record they had a different intention: using their two voices in close harmony and playing practically every instrument themselves. The result is an eleven song thirty-five minute blast of whip-smart rock and roll. During hours of downtime on her 'Acid Tongue' world tour, Jenny and Johnathan began writing a batch of songs different from anything they had previously created. During a 9 day demo session in LA in October 09, helmed by Rilo Kiley's Pierre De Reeder, Jenny and Johnny played as many instruments as possible, right down to the drums, bringing in Jason Boesel for additional embellishments. The four friends worked lightening fast, had a hell of a lot of fun, and were so happy with the results that Lewis and Rice decided to start a brand new band and finish the record. In late December the two songwriters packed up a station wagon and drove from Los Angeles to Omaha, Nebraska to work with their friend, Mike Mogis. Jenny and Johnny hunkered down in Mogis' world-class ARC studios for five weeks of tracking, vocals,and mixing during the worst Midwestern winter since the 1860's. The front door of their guesthouse actually froze shut, so they used an alternate route to get to the studio every day. Cut off from the outside world in a blizzard's haze, the record's personality began to emerge. Gone were the vintage, classic-rock textures of their previous two albums, and in came a tougher, rougher sound. There's an exuberance in love songs like 'Scissor Runner' that mask some of the record's darkness, while Lewis chronicles the economic demise of her beloved California in 'Big Wave.' Listeners will relish Rice's haunting vocal on 'Animal' and both songwriters raising a middle-finger kiss off in the acerbic 'My Pet Snakes.' This is not a Rilo Kiley record, a Jenny Lewis record, or a Johnathan Rice record. This is Jenny And Johnny. They're having fun now, and they want you to, too.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A better girl-boy duet album, August 31, 2010

By 

William Merrill "eclecticist" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Having Fun Now (Audio CD)

As a big fan of Jenny Lewis' music - I even enjoyed the last Rilo Kiley CD more than most people did - I was excited to learn about her new duet album with Johnathan Rice. It turns out to be as good as I could have hoped, with some very catchy rock-pop tunes with fetching vocals by Jenny and appealing duet harmonies. (Try the chorus of "Big Wave" for starters.) The settings for these 11 songs are usually a loose sort of indie rock, although an occasional wild card pops up such as the spacey lullaby "While Men Are Dreaming."

Over the past few years there have been a bunch of duet albums from man-woman combos, sometime lovers, often involving an actress trying out a singing career. The `She & Him' grouping comes immediately to mind (just friends, those two), as well as Scarlett & Pete and the Matthew Sweet/Susanna Hoffs "Under the Covers" CDs. This Jenny & Johnathan musical pairing is as good as any of those, if not better.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "painting a portrait / all over my heart", September 8, 2010

By 

C. Ryono "my heart is a series of tubes" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Having Fun Now (Audio CD)

I find that I keep using the word 'love' when describing this album. I love its deceptively sweet flavor (with a dark complicated underbelly). I love the call-and-response and/or echoing lyrics. I adore the instances where their voices divide/intersect on the respective choruses. I thoroughly dig Jenny's "riffs" in "Scissor Runner." I love the awe-inspiring uses of harmony on the album as a whole. You will find yourself singing or humming along with Jenny and/or Johnny -- it's practically inevitable. The songs are infectious. The chemistry between Jenny and Johnathan is immediately apparent. I feel like there is no song on the album that distinctly hers or distinctly his, and that this was a true collaborative creation. It is an uniquely beautiful album.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars new fan, October 20, 2010

By 

E. J. Buzzell (Kalamazoo, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Having Fun Now (Audio CD)

This album was my intro to these artists and I was delighted with the discovery. Heard a sample on npr and bought this to accompany a trip to the deep sunny south. A perfect road tripping choice. The vocals are lovely listening and the music is lively and enjoyable. The lyrics tend toward the darker side of things, but the bold foot tapping rhythms and bright refreshing harmonies work to lift the edge and make it sparkle. Life's bitter pill never tasted so sweet.