Here’s a bit of web trolling:

— I can’t tell if this New York Times review of Sunday night’s Jenny Lewis concert in a converted church on the Lower East Side is a pick or a pan. “Unfortunately, rather than projecting gutsy gospel sass, the Watsons’ intermittent ‘ooohs’ remained mostly a ghostly echo. When Ms. Lewis defaulted to her prettiest mode, as on her cowpoke clomper ‘Happy,’ she too disappeared. Her more upbeat songs fared best, accompanied by Rhodes organ and lap steel guitar, and Johnathan Rice’s second guitar. The pub-friendly “You Are What You Love” showcased her near-tears resilience.” Conor was there, as was M Ward, but they didn’t sing “Handle With Care.” Why not? Probably because that’s what the fans wanted to hear.

— Compare and contrast this review of the same Jenny Lewis concert that appeared in SPIN online (interesting how writers of both reviews are women). “The crowd was silently captivated during the performance except for the lone fan who shouted “Great album!” — a comment the singer bashfully acknowledged.” The Times photo is better. So is their review. Better get your tickets to the March 11 Scottish Rites Hall show ASAP.

— Personal writing mentor/guru Robert Christgau has another in his series of Consumer Guide entries in the latest Village Voice (read it here). He likes The Go Team (A-) and the new Neil Young (A-), gives Andrew Bird the “Dud of the Month” (but it still gets a B) and puts last year’s Low album and the new Neil Diamond on the “Duds” list (I disagree about the Low and Diamond dud-ifications. I have the new Neil D. It’s good, but it’s no Jonathon Livingston Seagull).

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