Jenny and Johnny

As the title implies, this is what the couple of Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice have been waiting to do for a while now. Unfortunately, their other efforts ― Rilo Kiley and solo work for both ― have longer lasting power, showcasing their talents much better than this acoustic guitar-oriented album. Together, it's a back-and-forth of who has the strength in a song. And when there's no push-pull, the vocals are sleepy, making this too much work for the listener. Yet there's hook after hook, and the songs are pretty catchy and ready for long drive sing-alongs, like on "Big Wave," "Committed" and "My Pet Snakes," but because they all sound the same, it can be overwhelming. If you push aside these annoyances, a pleasant airiness remains.