A real gem of a performer
Jewel 2 stars (very good)
Review by Max Bell
The new moon suits Jewel Kilcher. She made her London debut under full wax at the Cafe de Paris, and last night she wowed Waterloo with a show that confirmed her as the pre-eminent female singer/songwriter of her brief era.
Since she cut her troubadour teeth busking at the InnerChange cafe in California, while living in a camper van, Jewel has moved forward fast. Her book of poetry, A Night Without Armor, bemused critics but one million fans snapped it up. Her acting debut, in Ang Lee's Ride With The Devil, was equally emphatic. Kilcher's latest disc, This Way, is her best to date.
She divided her time here between acoustic and electric, winning over a vocal London crowd with throaty gymnastics. Grey Matter and Till We Run Out Of Road revealed an ability to mimic everyone from Joni Mitchell to Dolly Parton. Then again, Jewel's Bob Dylan steal, the very blonde on blonde Sometimes It Be That Way, is so overloaded with imagery that it takes her complete lack of self-consciousness to carry the moment.
The second half saw Jewel with hair let down; the immediate spell was less persuasive. Still, her idiosyncratic yodelling and humorous polkas ensured one didn't wallow in the wake of a precocious talent. Jewel by name, and all that.
This review can also be found at the This Is London website
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