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Jewel
This Way
EastWest
2 stars
Alaskan singer-songwriter goes mainstream on third album
After selling 11 million copies of her debut album, Pieces Of You, you wonder why Alaskan singer-songwriter Jewel feels the need to move further into the commercial mainstream. Perhaps it's because the follow-up, Spirit only did half that number (a six-million-selling 'flop'), but her third album proper is a deliberate step away from the folky lyricism and homespun philosophising that made her so special.
Which isn't to say This Way is a bad album. It rocks harder than before, the Nashville production is glossier, her voice has matured and there are some memorable tunes and catchy hooks. It's just that one of the most singular female artists of the Nineties, who once appeared to be the natural successor to Joni
Mitchell, has started to sound like everyone else, from Alanis Morissette to Trisha Yearwood. If this was her debut album, it would be hugely promising. Knowing what she's capable of, it's impossible not to feel disappointed.
Nigel Williamson
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