Kevin Bronson on June 20th, 2013

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Fans who’ve had 2007’s “Further North” on repeat since their first crush will be happy to know that Scottish-American singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice is back. Not that the L.A.-based troubadour ever went anywhere, of course, except to form a tandem with girlfriend Jenny Lewis as Jenny & Johnny. Rice’s new solo album “Good Graces” (out Sept. 17) has echoes of the duo’s 2010 album “I’m Having Fun Now,” owing vocal contributions from Z Berg, Lewis and the Watson Twins, but only echoes. The diverse collection was made in collaboration with Dawes bassist Wiley Gelber, Rilo Kiley/the Elected drummer Jason Boesel and guitarist/producer Farmer Dave Scher. The press for “My Heart Belongs to You” calls it a cheesy, charming love song, but at least Rice has a knack for making those sound real. Not available yet but more highly recommended: the insistent first single “Nowhere at the Speed of Light.” Stay tuned.

||| Download: “My Heart Belongs to You” (using the widget after the jump)