Juliette Lewis - Terra Incognita (2009)

n 2004, Juliette Lewis the punk rocker emerged with a bang. Now she's being reborn as a musical force in the studio as well as onstage. After four years, two full-length albums and countless high-profile tours and festival gigs alongside acts like the Killers, Foo Fighters, Muse and Chris Cornell with her roaring rock road show the Licks, Lewis is ready to unveil her new solo project.

Her new album, Terra Incognita, was produced by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta) and easily shifts from punky grooves ("All Is For God") to chiming guitar rock ("Fantasy Bar") and even includes a flashy pop song ("Uh Huh," which Lewis describes as her "make-out jam"). There's a ton of variety in the vocal performances, too, which leap from growly and rich to vulnerable and subtle. "I wanted to make a record that has full flavor and spectrum. Not the same song 11 times," says Lewis. "Terra Incognita means unknown territory and I wanted needed to go there. Not everybody wants to. But I got no one to answer to, so why not feed the muse?"