Sound: Country-rock.
Claim to fame: She made her professional acting debut as a kid in a Jell-O commercial and played a grandchild to Lucille Ball in the comic legend's third-most-popular TV show, "Life With Lucy." But we're pretty sure she's better known for fronting indie darlings Rilo Kiley and launching a solo career in 2006 with a countrified album called "Rabbit Fur Coat." A second, far more raucous solo effort, "Acid Tongue," drew raves from Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press and Rolling Stone, to name a few, with guest appearances by the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, indie-rock darling M. Ward and Elvis Costello.
Latest effort: "Acid Tongue" (2009).
If one song could make you love this artist, it would be: "Carpetbaggers," a spirited shot of old-school country-rock that filters a melody lifted from "Love Is a Rose" through the strumming acoustic guitars of the Everly Brothers' greatest hits and guest vocals from Elvis Costello, who sounds right at home. The guitar break could pass for a Dave Edmunds sample, and Lewis sounds great on the chorus, promising "I'm gonna treat you kind. I'm gonna rob you blind."
For fans of: Rilo Kiley, Neko Case, Gram Parsons, early Linda Ronstadt.
Trivia: She contributed "Barking at the Moon" to Disney's animated dog adventure "Bolt." But when the Golden Globes picked a song from that soundtrack to honor with a nomination for best original song, they passed over Lewis in favor of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus' "I Thought I Lost You."
