From humble roots comes another Jewel (excuse the pun) (Spirit - Jewel)

Member Name: ken275

Product:	Spirit - Jewel
Date:	06/08/01 (166 review reads)
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Advantages: Jewel has a beautiful voice - the instrumentation doesn’t drown it, the lyrics are full of meaning

Disadvantages: Some may see her unique view on the world naive and unacheivable, but nontheless, her lyrics are filled with hope, perhaps some will be surprised at the change in style since her first album, pieces of you. I personally don’t think this is such a bad thing

The Alaskan solo singer, Jewel, has evolved at a rate resembling a cheetah both in musical style and lyrics over the gap between her last album and this. The ingénue who set the music world alight in 1995 with her debut album, Pieces of You, is back and the contrast between her first album, which consisted primarily of songs Jewel had written several years before, some of them dating back to her days as a free- spirited waif living in a van on the beach in San Diego, and this, her second, is all to obvious. Now, at 25, she's become a sort of guru for self-expression and full disclosure with her latest book of poetry, A Night Without Armour, gaining both critical acclaim and remaining on the best-seller list for months.

The changes in Spirit shouldn’t be prejudged, though, many of them resemble a fruition in her style as opposed to becoming simply more like ‘popular music’ – the road taken by such similar artists as LeAnn Rimes. While Pieces of You was mainly a compilation of coffee-bar songs sung only to the sound of Jewel’s own acoustic guitar Spirit resembles a shift to larger bands of instruments backing up her still unchanged voice while also resembling development of her lyrical style. It truly is refreshing to see and enjoy the music of an artist who believes so deeply in what she creates. Furthermore, upon hearing the meaning, power, and emotion behind her music and words, her obsessive and excessive optimism doesn't seem so impossible anymore.

On songs like "Deep Water," "Hands," and "Down So Long," her words are borne aloft by sparkling melodies and her soaring voice, and truly her talent is still as clear as ever in Spirit. If only the critics would give Jewel a break, she really has worked incredibly hard to achieve her success over the past years and indeed it was the voice she gave to her unique view on the world that we live in which pinpoints her as a truly revolut
ionary artist – one who is not afraid to defy trends and establish her own musical style without loosing sight of her roots.

One last note: her new album is out in November in the US, and it’ll probably be one to watch out for!

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