Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins

The late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes once challenged her TLC bandmates to issue simultaneous solo records, predicting hers would be the biggest hit. While that project was cut short by her death, the gantlet was picked up by Rilo Kiley singer-songwriters Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett, who share a January 24 release date.

Score this contest a draw. Sennett's duo, the Elected, boasts the best single with "Would You Come With Me," a tune of timeless pop perfection. While Lewis' best song, the title track, is too subtle for radio, its rich storyline smartly uses obscure language to weave a revenge tale without sensationalism. Lewis also teams with Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Conor "Bright Eyes" Oberst for a power-jangle remake of the Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care," and members of Maroon 5 appear as well; apparently it's illegal to release a record without them. Yet the Watson Twins' twangy gospel harmonies somehow achieve genuine spirituality.