by Sapphire Mason-Brown

Created on: July 09, 2011

The worst thing one should expect from Jenny and Johnny’s debut album is the sixth album from Jennys Lewis’ former band, Rilo Kiley. The Rilo Kiley expectation can lead to much disappointment. This was a problems I faced when writing this review such that is could be called, “How I learned to stop waiting for Blake Sennett’s vocals and accept Jonathan Rice”.

Jenny Lewis and present beau Jonathan Rice are quite the pair. Their catchy and at times anthemic tunes are engaging from the outset as the album launches into the opening track, ‘Scissor Runner’. The album’s title really begins to ring true in the second track ‘My Pet Snakes’ a contradictorily upbeat song about a failed relationship. With each verse Lewis gleefully sings to a past love with such lines as, “And if you don’t believe in chemistry, Then what were we doing?” preceded by Rice’s laudatory, “God it makes me queasy when you smile”.

For the most part Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice’s vocals are complimentary with Lewis’ melodies contrasting with Rice’s drawl. But what at first seems complimentary later appears to be a one sided dependence. ‘Animal’ takes the primary focus from Jenny Lewis to Jonathan Rice. Brought to the forefront is Rice’s voice which seem to lack enough substance to carry the song, something that is made more apparent when Lewis’ in introduced during the chorous.

The ominous Au Revoir Simone-esque, ‘While men are dreaming” signals a change to something more dreamlike with Jonathan Rice lulling in the background.

As the album progresses it loses much of the enthusiasm and catchiness present in many of the opening songs. To refer to the album’s titles, they don’t seem to having as much fun. This could be construed as a cool down period but many of the later tracks run the risk of being the forgettable songs amongst what are primarily very strong songs.’Just Like Zeus’ although returning to upbeat tone of the beginning of the album, fails to match their appeal.This same could be said of the succeeding songs ‘New Yorker Cartoon”, ‘Straight Edge of the Blade’ and ‘Slavedriver’.

The album goes out with a bang grabbing the listener once again with ‘Committed’, the opening of which surprisingly invoking Prince Charming by Adam & the Ants.

I’m Having Fun Now is an album filled with strong tracks, but it unfortunately loses its momentum as it reaches the half way point with songs that pale in comparison to what preceded.

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