Jewel: Perfectly Clear [Album Review]
Jewel is the only "pop" (and I use that term very loosely) artist of late that I was actually very happy to hear was going to put out a country record. Anytime you jump that very distinctive anything but country to country line it's a huge career risk. Jewel knows any genre hopping can bite in you in the ass from experience, let us not forget her not so well received (but I thought enjoyable) "0304" dance album. So...an attempt at country, for her, took balls.
"Perfectly Clear" is no "Pieces Of You" or "This Way", but in compassion to the other records she has put out in the last decade, "Perfectly Clear" is far and away the direction she should be heading into. Her delicate high voice sounds right at home with a pretty country melody, while her husky lower register is amazing when paired with a steel guitar. Her folky indie style just transitioned beautifully into the country market, and I am sure she will be a hit with country radio.
A highlight of "Perfectly Clear" comes in a cover "2 Become 1" which was originally recorded for her dance album "0304". That was actually one of my favorite songs off of "0304" and I always wondered why she never released it as a single, now I can see why. The country version she did of the song is EVEN BETTER than the original. The steel guitars and acoustics add so much to the mood of the song, making it perfectly executed this time around.
Another track favorite of mine was "Loved By You" (A Cowboy Waltz) that sounded very old west as Jewel showed off both her high and low vocal register as she slid effortlessly through the chorus "I don't wanna be loved by anybody but you". She then closed the song with a beautiful yodeling harmony, the first yodeling she's ever recorded.
