- Release date:
- August 21, 2007
- Artist/Band name:
- Rilo Kiley
- Record label:
- Warner Bros.
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.rilokiley.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(1 rating)
Why you should care: Lewis and Sennett have been sharpening their respective games since “More Adventurous.” She released a strong, country-soul-flavored solo album (credited to Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins) in 2006; that same year, Sennett delivered a soaring, emotional California rock record with his band, the Elected, that slipped under most people’s radars.
Verdict: “Under the Blacklight” is a massive disappointment by just about any measure. “Silver Lining” opens the album on a fairly even keel—the slick, vaguely twangy tune is superficially catchy but otherwise uninspiring. Alarmingly, it’s the best track here; nearly everything else rings false. Lewis’ hushed vocals on “The Moneymaker” are supposed to be seductive, but over the unconvincing funk grooves, she sounds more like she’s just trying not to wake the band. With its twee synths and chirpy vocal harmonies, “Breakin’ Up” feels like an ELO tune as rendered by Hannah Montana. “Dejalo” is bad early-‘90s Madonna and the staid, Sennett-fronted ‘80s pop drooper, “Dreamworld,” wouldn’t have cut it on a Corey Hart album. Even “15,” a solid horn-and-organ-driven soul song about lusting after teenage jailbait, fails to resonate with the kind of emotional truth that suffused “More Adventurous.”
X-Factor: The video for the porn-themed “The Moneymaker” features actual porn stars.
