Jenny and Johnny Issue #44

I'm Having Fun Now (Warner Bros.)

By Kelley Hecker
Published: November 1st, 2010 | 12:00am

Indie rock chanteuse Jenny Lewis and her singer-songwriter beau Johnathan Rice have been working closely together since she went solo in 2006, so the fact that the two formed a band and declared their partnership seems like a natural progression. The adorably named Jenny and Johnny project is armed with 11 tracks on their debut, I'm Having Fun Now, created at lightning speed while having a hell of a lot of fun.

Rice and Lewis have never sounded better together—their chemistry is palpable, and you can practically hear Lewis grinning each time she steps up to the mic. "Big Wave," a fast-paced rocker that sounds like it could have been a B-side from Rilo Kiley's The Execution of All Things (Saddle Creek), is an early highlight, with the twosome playfully trading the lines, "I know you feel deprived / You don't trust me / Our love is still alive / You never touch me."

The lilting "While Men Are Dreaming" provides a pleasant breather midway through, while "Slavedriver" is propelled by handclaps and a funky guitar line. Lewis gets sassy on "My Pet Snakes," asking her jealous man, "Are you trying to compete with me?" before stating "I don't believe in sucking your way to the top." It might take a few spins before the record clicks for some, but when it does, it's hard not to be smitten. As Jenny and Johnny's bio says, "They're having fun now, and they want you to, too."