My Amazon Reviews: Jewel "Greatest Hits"

Gems by Jewel
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Jewel's story could be an album unto itself. She started out in Alaska, came to California when her parents divorced, then began living out of a van and playing wherever she could find a gig. It made her debut, "Pieces of You," a huge album in 1995, with collegiate poetry and sensitive soulful singing, That kicked off a near two decade career that fills this first Greatest Hits with everything from singer-songwriter folk to Nashville country, from children's albums to a flirtation with dance pop.

Her sincerity carries each twist of her career and makes the songs sound legitimate, even if the stylistic contortions may have occasionally let her fans feel bewildered. But Jewel was the kind of artist who would dabble in whatever tickled her fancy, including writing books of poetry and issuing a spoken word album to accompany them. Like Tori Amos and Natalie Merchant from roughly the same period, Jewel would follow wherever her muse took her.

So you get the earnest "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Foolish Games" from the debut, setting the template for much of her career. Clear and pure vocals over pleading lyrics, which was much of what "Pieces of You" was made of, and propelled it to over 10 Million in sales. While that album was a rough, unpolished recording, Jewel got better fast and the slicker but still true to her roots on "Spirit," using Madonna's producer Patrick Leonard. Despite that slickness, "Hands" and "Down So Long" became substantial hits. "This Way" followed in the same footsteps, yielding "Standing Still."

Then came the big U-Turn of "0304." Appears Jewel also had a thing for Brittany Spears, as the techy dance pop of "Intuition" shows in all its big beat glory. It was a move that didn't last long, because the next record was the autobiographical concept album, "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland." The sensitive singer songwriter confessions were back with "Good Day." And as so many of the 80's and 90's female folk singers were wont to do, Jewel also discovered country on "Perfectly Clear" (repped here by "Stronger Woman"). basically, it still sounded like the same Jewel, but this time with steel guitars. She also recorded the more folk than country "Sweet and Wild," which felt more like a folk record but still held some of the twang. However, her first album of Children's music gives this collection its only dud, a recording of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

Finally, there are the bonus tracks. Taking obvious aim at both contemporary pop and modern country, Jewel takes tow of her best known songs and recreates them. First the Pistol Annies add some countrified harmonies to an elongated "You Were Meant for Me." Then she gets Kelly Clarkson to add some windpower on "Foolish Games." The duet doesn't really better the original, but given the time expended between the first and the current version, it isn't a stretch to think they might get another go-around on their respectively aimed formats. Plus one brand new song, "Two Hearts Breaking," which has her smooth voice over a contemporary beat but is still very much Jewel.

Collected together, you can follow a path that is decidedly oddball but most certainly commercial. Jewel's "Greatest Hits" is a perfect summary of 80's and 90's sensitive singer songwriters wrapped into one very succinct CD and captures just about all the biggest songs in a career that still took on its share of left turns along the way.