SOUND OFF

Jenny Lewis

Acid Tongue

(Warner Bros.)

Folks that are expecting Jenny Lewis's new solo CD, "Acid Tongue," to sound like a release from her band, Rilo Kiley, or even like her last solo CD, "Rabbit Fur Coat," are going to be either surprised or sorely disappointed. While "Rabbit Fur Coat" had definite alt-country leanings, this new collection is less twangy and more introspective. Songs such as "Black Sand" and "Pretty Bird" combine a slightly folky sound with a looser groove that breathes life into the tunes via Lewis' voice and a minimal amount of instrument involvement. There are guests abound on the new CD, with everyone from Elvis Costello ("Carpetbaggers") to the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson ("Acid Tongue") to actress-turned-singer Zooey Deschanel ("Jack Killed Mom") popping in to contribute. Standout tracks include the eight-minute-plus "The Next Messiah," the slide guitar-drenched "See Fernando," and "Carpetbaggers." While fans await the next collection of new songs from Rilo Kiley, that band's lead singer once again proves that her songwriting well is far from dry. (A-)-

Download These: "The Next Messiah," "See Fernando," "Carpetbaggers"

Ben Folds

Way Too Normal

(Sony)

Since his early days with Ben Folds Five, songwriter Ben Folds has delighted in creating intricate piano melodies and coupling them with downright geeky lyrics. Possibly without even meaning to, the Chapel Hill, NC songsmith has formed his own musical niche. While the formula can threaten to get stale at times, Folds can always be counted on to deliver at least one or two truly good tunes per album (see "Rockin' the Suburbs" and "Army"). That seems to be the case on "Way Too Normal," Folds' latest solo effort. The best and most radio-ready track on the new CD is "You Don't Know Me," which features fellow pianist Regina Spektor. For fans of Folds' offbeat sense of humor, though, there are plenty of amusing tracks, including "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," which recounts an actual episode where Folds fell and injured his noggin at a show in Japan, "Effington," and "Free Coffee." There are times though when even the biggest Folds fan might wish the artist would take his craft a bit more seriously, as a couple more songs similar to "You Don't Know Me" and a few less that sound like "Frown Song" could possibly lift Folds out of that piano geek rock niche.-(B-)-

Download These: "You Don't Know Me," "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," "Free Coffee"

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson

(Arista)

After placing as a runner-up during "American Idol" a couple of seasons ago, Jennifer Hudson got the last laugh by winning an Oscar for her spectacular performance in the film version of the musical "Dreamgirls." Now the budding starlet has finally seen fit to release her debut album, which reportedly started with a list of more than forty songs that was eventually scaled down to thirteen. Of those remaining twelve tracks, nearly every one has its own producer or guest vocalist, resulting in an R&B album that seems to suffer from a multiple-personality disorder. To be fair, there is some decent music here, most notably songs such as "Spotlight," "You Pulled Me Through," and "I'm His Only Woman," which features another "American Idol" alumnus, Fantasia. The only song that flat out misses the mark is "What's Wrong (Go Away)" with T-Pain, which is all but unlistenable. Overall, Hudson succeeds with this debut, but hopefully on her next release the artist will pick one producer and attempt to set a consistent mood. (B-)-

Download These: "Spotlight," "You Puller Me Through," "I'm His Only Woman"

Devin Grant, special to-The Post and Courier