Raise your hand if you thought Rilo Kiley was the name of the band’s lovely red headed singer the first time you heard the name. Well, that’s actually Jenny Lewis. Early this year she released her first solo album, “Rabbit Fur Coat,” with support from twins Chandra and Leigh, a.k.a. The Watson Twins.

Those familiar with Rilo Kiley and their chime-y indie guitar lines and orchestrated pop recordings might be surprised to hear the CD, as most of the material takes a decidedly rootsier feel that Rilo Kiley albums only hinted at. It’s not a huge departure; it’s just that the country influences are right up front, along with a hint of soul as The Watson Twins’ harmonized ooh’s and aah’s find their way onto most tracks.

“Run Devil Run,” the album’s lead track, is a country gospel song complete with softly strummed acoustic guitar and lovely three-part harmony, as Lewis and the Twins repeat the track’s name over and over. It would have fit nicely in the “O’ Brother Where Art Thou?” soundtrack.

There’s something different about Lewis’ delivery on “Rabbit Fur Coat” than her singing on the RK albums. The performances are pretty laid back—not all mellow necessarily, just relaxed—and it suits Lewis’ vocal delivery better. The arrangements reflect this, too. Absent are RK’s crafted moments of synths, vibes, mellotron or the like, and instead Lewis and cohorts offer a mostly straight-up sound that feels more like live tracks with overdubs than a track-by-track recording. M. Ward makes an appearance on four of the songs as producer, which is misleading; mostly he just gets out of the way.

Lewis’ sexy voice shines on this recording, like when she’s purring the lines of “Happy,” one of the albums’ M. Ward produced, sparsely adorned numbers. “But I like watching you undress/,” she sings on the track, “And I think we’re at our best / By the flicker, by the light, of the TV set.” M. Ward’s groaning feedback electric guitar sidles into the track’s background before some reverby country guitar comes in and falls away again.

But the smartass delivery and sense of humor on her RK tunes is still here—like on the skipping and poppy “The Charging Sky,” and especially on the soulful, rolling “Rise up with Fists!!!” “It’s like trying to clean the ocean,” she sings, “What, do you think you can drain it?”

The one letdown is a cover of The Traveling Wilbury’s “Handle With Care” which just plain lacks magic. It’s a little fast or something, and the band can’t quite grasp it. Cool idea, no magic. But, that’s a bit of nitpicking on an otherwise lovely solo debut.

The songs that Lewis wrote on her own might never have seen the light of day if not for Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst, who encouraged her to make an album for his new Team Love imprint a couple years ago. Ol’ Bright Eyes had some vision, indeed. This is a splendid record.