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Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis famously covered the Traveling Wilburys on her solo debut, but she might have more in common with Kris Kristofferson-- and not just for her country-not-quite-country sound. "Acid Tongue", the title track from her upcoming sophomore solo album, begins with a trip to the cobbler, which prompts some intense self-reckoning. The song is a travelogue of sorts, recalling Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" in plotting and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" in its just-woke-up tone. Rather than walk around with holes in her shoes, Lewis lays out her unsavory history, copping to all the drugs and bad hook-ups even as she calls herself a liar on the chorus. James Frey she's not. Who cares whether or not the song is truly autobiographical? It all feels right: from that astringent acoustic guitar to the choir of backing vocals (including beau Johnathan Rice and Black Crowe Chris Robinson) to her gut-punch admission that "Being lonely is a habit, like smoking or taking drugs/ And I've quit them both but man, was it rough." (via NPR's "All Songs Considered")

Bonus!

Here's the stream of the song preceded by a cute video in which Ben Gibbard drops by Jenny Lewis' place to hear her new record.

[from Acid Tongue; due 09/23/08 on Warner Bros.]

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