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 Country-folk for country folk June 14, 2008
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
27 out of 31 found this review helpful
Popular folk singer/songwriter Jewel tries something old for her new album, and comes up country fresh and honey sweet. The tracks are like Carrie Underwood channeling The Carpenters for a perfect blend of vintage country with pop and folk.
The lead single is "Stronger Woman", an anthem for women everywhere who are being taken for granted by the men in their lives. Her advice?
"I'm gonna love myself more than anyone else
Believe in me, even if someone can't see
A stronger woman in me"
She follows up with "I Do", which is a song about making a commitment to the person you love. I really like the clever lyrics, and chorus, "'Cause love is a game until it's played / And if it's lost, it can't ever be saved."
For some old-fashioned country violins and stuff, try "Love is a Garden" (a track with a little Shania Twain edge); "Anyone But You"; "Thump Thump" ; "'Til it Feels Like Cheating" (pure country); "Everything Reminds Me of You"; "Love By You (Cowboy Waltz)" (a bit of yodeling here) and "Perfectly Clear"
My son likes "Rosey and Mick", which has a chorus that reminds me of The Carpenters, and I also like "Two Become One" which is very familiar, but I can't recall the song it reminds me of right now. (Maybe "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny and Dolly, combined with "Love Doesn't Ask Why" by Celine Dion)
I prefer Jewel as a folk singer, but I appreciate her experimenting with a variety of styles. This is a very good country album by any standards.
Rated: 4.5 stars
Amanda Richards, June 14, 2008
Perfectly Clear a Gem on First Listen June 3, 2008
Stephen Hall (USA)
22 out of 25 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of Jewel, since just after her coffee house days, and I have seen her in concert over a dozen times. "Perfectly Clear," is a stunningly gorgeous demonstration of Jewel's unique, fascinating storytelling. Furthermore, the sound is fantastic. I care very little for country music, but this album is fantastic and quickly rose to one be one of my favorite Jewel albums ever despite having only listened fully one time. Typically I need a dozen listens before really understanding and enjoying the sound of an album. Not here, this album is great right off the first push of the play button, and the Jewel storytelling is always clear and there from the start to begin with.
The album is not entirely different from the 2001 album release "This Way." While every Jewel album is superb, I'd certainly take the step to say this is the best produced album since "This Way," as its not overly done, and Jewel's voice is allowed to carry the story.
The variety and quality of songs on here is fantastic. From older treasures, to new creations, they are found here. They will delight you, put you at peace, and entertain you.
My next album hope? This album was fully enjoyed. I still want, someday, the average CD or radio listener to hear the brilliance that is Jewel live. A Jewel live album, or live-style album would further complete her discography.
Jewel Fits Country 'Perfectly' June 3, 2008
Rudy Palma (NJ)
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
Anyone who has followed Jewel's career beyond the obvious hit singles knows that a country record has been in her cards for a while, and sixth studio album "Perfectly Clear" fits the bill. Whether it be quality album tracks like "Cleveland" from 2001's "This Way" or "Stephenville, TX" from 2006's "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland," each of her albums (save for 2003's misjudged "0304") has demonstrated her potential for the genre. Accusations that the Alaskan singer/songwriter is courting Middle America to sell more records cannot be disproved, but what matters is whether or not the results are worth repeated listens. They are.
Fans of Jewel's body of work not particularly privy to country music can relax and dig in - "Perfectly Clear" is a Jewel album first, a country CD second. The witty, romantic lyricism and catchy melodies typical of her earlier records are both here and stronger than ever. The only difference is typical country music instruments like violins and steel guitars take on an eminent presence. It is executed wonderfully, however; those waiting for the next rootin tootin' Gretchen Wilson record or even country purists should find the album thoroughly absorbing.
Not much has changed as far as Jewel's themes are concerned, and it tends to work for the genre. "Love Is a Garden" joins the ranks of "Break Me" or "Morning Song" with its sticky-as-Christmas-tree sappiness, but its melody is colorful and invigorating. The same goes for "Two Become One," a great improvement on a track from "0304," as well the album's formidable lead single, "Stronger Woman" which has met respectable success on country radio and even pierced the pop charts with its feel-good theme and strong, confident vocal delivery.
Follow-up single "I Do" has the ripest potential for large-scale success, not to mention considerable crossover appeal. With a splendid, chugging, instantly memorable melody and gorgeous lyrics, the song is quintessential Jewel.
"Because love is a game until it's played/And if it's lost, it can't ever be saved/We have heaven to gain and hell to lose/And the difference is up to me and you/So if you will, I will stop saying I won't/And start saying I do."
"Anyone But You" is a passionate, drink-yourself-into-oblivion lamentation of a ballad, making it the most clichedly country song of the record. Jewel pulls it off with her solemn, plaintive vocals extracting emotion out of every note. Meanwhile, "Rosey and Mick," a track that has spent years in her setlists, turns the similar theme of lovers' trysts into a sweeping, widescreen radio-friendly light country rocker with another instantly memorable hook.
"Thump Thump" and "Loved By You (Cowboy Waltz)" also sport memorable melodies that beckon the repeat button in addition to adventurous song structures that reveal different facets of Jewel's considerable talent. "Perfectly Clear," a stark, ingratiating ballad, concludes the album in top-notch fashion.
Jewel is going to retain her existing fanbase and successfully court new listeners if "Perfectly Clear" is given the attention it has coming to it. She should even win back former listeners if they know what's best for them. So she kicked up her heels and had a little fun in 2003. Get over it. These new songs are meaty and substantial with lyrical bite, lovely melodies and the sharpest vocal work of her career.
What more do you want?
A unique collection from a wonderful songwriter... June 29, 2008
Shannon
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I've been following Jewel's career since I was 12 years old (I am now in my 20s). I've always just found something so refreshingly honest in her approach to making music. She does it for the real love of it and she's always been striving to get remembered as a songwriter first and a hit-maker second. While that may mean that she's fallen off many people's radar since her huge splash of a debut album, it also means she's tread a unique career path for those fans willing to stick with her.
I thought her last album, 2006's "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," was perhaps her best record yet. It was a wonderful collection of songs that were obviously deeply personal. I hated the fact that her record company didn't seem to pay attention to it, or to Jewel herself. I was frankly relieved to learn that she had switched to a teeny-tiny new record company and would be fully embracing the country aesthetic her music has had for years. This wasn't a new venture for Jewel. She's always been the daughter of a cowboy and her songs have always had the ballad-y, storytelling quality of old-school country. There have been songs like "Do You," "Cleveland," "Everybody Needs Someone Sometime," "Stephenville, TX," and even "You Were Meant for Me" on all of albums, excepting 2003's out-of-character 0304.
"Perfectly Clear" completely reaches its potential. Jewel has stated that she was inspired by albums like Linda Ronstadt's "Heart Like a Wheel" when creating this album: a collection of less than a dozen songs that you can fully appreciate and absorb in one sitting. There isn't any filler or fat on this album. Each song was clearly approached with all the care and emotion they deserved. The hooks are immediate, the production is gentle and not at all intrusive and the songwriting is the same blend of quirky self-deprication and insightful gravitas that I've come to expect from Jewel.
"Perfectly Clear" may just be the best album Jewel has yet released. It instantly captures every aspect of this musician that I've enjoyed for so many years. It's sweet, romantic, occasionally funny, and always the unique document of one unique woman. No one else could have made this album and I continue to applaud Jewel for leading the career journey SHE wants to lead. I really hope she finds the success she deserves in the country music world.
 Just doesn't work. June 7, 2008
Dusty Snethen (KS)
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
Whenever Jewel sings there is a genuineness to her voice that is heard in very few singers. Unfortunately her voice's honesty is lost to the insincerity of the sugary sweet country sound. There is no question that country music today has moved so far away from it's roots it barely resembles anything of substance anymore. Appealing to only women 20 to 35 country music has become the female singer song-writer's best chance at commercial success. Thus I have no doubt this album will succeed in appealing to that audience. Once considered to be the female Dave Mathews, Jewel has taken a huge step backward by releasing an album that's already been released by three other female country singers this year alone. If you like Jewel's indie sound do whatever it takes to avoid this album. If you like mediocre muttled sugary sweet country then enjoy.
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