|
From:Jewel , Valory Music Co. ,
|
See Product Page
|
User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#588 |
| | Page: << 1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 >> |
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
 Impressive!!!, 2008-06-05
The move to country is so smooth for Jewel, it's hard to really tell the difference between this album and others. If it weren't for the ever-present Steel Guitar, it wouldn't be that much of a departure. Still, this album is one of Jewel's best. The lyrics are more instantly accessible than previous albums (as has been her trend over the last decade since her debut) but that doesn't make the music any less credible than that of Pieces of You or Spirit. It's a wonderfully crafted CD that fans of folk, pop, and country can appreciate, and I recommend it completely.
3 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
Good effort, easy (obvious) transition, 2008-06-05
Jewel's latest effort serves her well. She has cut country-sounding tracks since her Spirit album over a decade ago. I think she is too brashly criticized for "switching genres" too often, but really the mark of a great artist is versatility. She has had a lot of success on pop radio with her first three albums, she let her hair down for the dance album 0304 (not my favorite Jewel album, but quite a good dance-pop album compared to other dance-pop albums), she made an excellent, very underrated introspective album with Alice in Wonderland, and now she makes an easy transition into country which is about the only place you can tell story-telling, folkie songs on the radio any more. My favorite tracks are Stronger Woman (the lead single) as well as Rosy and Mick, which I believe she wrote as a teenager (a live performance of this song is available on the Live at Humphrey's DVD, circa 2001), Thump Thump, and Perfectly Clear, though honestly all the tracks are quite good. Two Become One is an interesting cover of her own song from the 0304 album. I don't think her voice has been this strong or rich on an album before (though you know if you've seen her live what a powerful instrument she has). Overall it's an incredibly good album (though This Way will always be my favorite I think).
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Wonderful album..., 2008-06-05
This is a great album from Jewel. I loved her last album, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" and this one is even better. I think she is perfect for country music, it is basically her same sound, just a little bit more country sounding on a few tracks. If you like Jewel, folk, and/or country - this is the album for you!
2 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
Jewel is coming home!, 2008-06-05
It's nice to see my Jewel heading back to her roots. This album is beautiful. I've been a fan since the beginning and watched her go through so many transformations. This album just shows how versatile and talented this woman really is.
Yes, so Jewel is home AT LAST! Perhaps the next project could be a folk/bluegrass album. Please, Jewel? ;)
My only criticism, Two Become One was released on 0304. Having so many bootlegs, I know she could have come up with something new to share. What about Emily or Violet Eyes?
I'm a rambling fanatic and I apologize. Buy this album!!!
5 of 7 customers found the following review helpful:
Jewel's "Perfectly Clear" Gateway to Country Music, 2008-06-04
Prime Cuts: Anyone But You, Two Become One, Thump, Thump
Once upon a time many a county artist had an eye for pop crossover success. However, the tide has turned: nowadays, more and more pop artists are crossing the ever-lowering hedge into the country fold. Jewel is a parading example. Once a fixture on the pop charts when "You Were Meant for Me/Foolish Games" spent over a year on Billboard's Hot 100, now Jewel has teamed up with John Rich (of Big and Rich) to release her first country effort on Big Machine's Valory Records. Nevertheless, "Perfectly Clear" is not the standard pop waxing garnished with fiddles passed as a country output. In terms of its production execution, lyrical themes, and melodic structures, this is a bona fide country record. Take a listen to "Loved By You (Cowboy Waltz)" and you'll hear Jewel even attempting a yodel--a rare fleet almost unheard of even from today's staunchest country acts.
Jewel who has written or co-written all but one track here brings in her worldly-wise acumen escalating the lyrics of many of these songs beyond the nomenclatures of your stand fare of heartbreak and love so prevalent in today's country music. "Rosey and Mick," a tale of domestic violence is dressed in a narrative that trumps with arresting lines like "She let him in, he lifted up her dress/Like an apology began to kiss her breast/And he felt much relieved as the ceiling fan tapped out a broken melody." Heartaches doesn't get more morose than the stone cold country tearjerker "Anyone But You," drenched in the rustic mores of fiddles and steel, that almost transports us back to era of Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. "Till It Feels Like Cheating," the only non-Jewel original, follows in the traditional path without having the poignancy of "Anyone But You."
However, not all is sad: Starting off with her understated girlish vocals, "Thump, Thump" has a dreamy feel as a love-drenched Jewel indulges in the flushes of burgeoning love. "Two Become One," which first appeared on Jewel's dance record "0304," gets a country makeover. The romantic lyrics, the engaging melody, and Rich's crisp production make "Two Become One" a percolating country hit waiting to happen. Fueled by its bluesy, smoking, and intense backing, the percolating "I Do" has the immediacy of radio appeal. Vanguard single "Stronger Woman," already a top 20 country hit, is a so-so inspirational type of popish ditty celebrating the strength of womanhood. Though it feeds radio's insatiable appetite for such feel-good paeans, lyrically and melodically "Stronger Woman" isn't quite that strong.
As they say 7 is a lucky number, album 7 may be Jewel's best CD to date. Carefully crafted each song tells of a different story yet they are all limned together by Jewel's oft fragile yet affecting vocals. This CD is not just a desperate attempt by a pop artist who has reached the end of her teeter in the rock market. Rather, this is country through and through. Though Jewel has a huge spade in crafting these songs, she has avoided the trappings of non-melodic overindulgence so prevalent on many records by singer-songwriters. Strong melodic constructions and insightful lyrics still remain the contributing factors why this disc is "perfectly clear" the gateway to a luminous career for Jewel in country music.
|
| Page: << 1 ... 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 >> |
|