Jewel Album: “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland”

I actually got this album today and it's extraordinary. As I expected.

Jewel is fascinating. Most artists today makes one great album, and then fails with the follow-up, because it sounds too much or too little like the debut album. But not Jewel. Each of her 6 albums has its very own sound that makes Jewel interesting, but still, there's something I can't quite put my finger on, that makes the listener recognize Jewel's spirit in each song. Sometimes she also displays a very strange sense of humor that's simply irresistable.

Now for Goodbye Alice in Wonderland. I love it, each and every song. The title track is very special to me, because I can relate to the "journey" she describes. Only One Too sounds like it could have been performed by one of those rude 20th-century-girl-groups. Fragile Heart was actually one of my least favourite tracks on 0304, but this version is much better.

Basically, this album is romantic, but it definitely has up-tempo songs. I'm also amazed by her voice, or should I say voices, because she has a wide range of nuances that she uses very skillfully. She has differed between these nuances earlier, but not within songs the same way that she does in this album. Again and Again is an example in which this is more obvious.

This album is worth every cent many times over, my favourite buy this year, and possibly this century.

Quite a change from 2003’s “0304”, this sixth album from Jewel slows down the pace considerably, mixing pop, folk and a generous helping of country. There’s a lot of music here for your money, running nearly an hour, with three tracks that are more than five minutes long.

First single “Again and Again” is a standard pop ballad, but done Jewel-style with that little yodel. You’ll love the lyrics of this one, and probably play it again and again and again:

“But you, you're always on my mind.

It's like this all the time.

Say it's cause you're mine

All mine...”

Second track “Long Slow Slide” is just as the title implies, a long, slow, touching country-style ballad, and is followed by the title track, which is more folk-oriented, but with a lot of personal reflection. The chorus of “Good Day” is one you can almost hear Melissa Etheridge singing, and “Satellite” sounds more like a Shawn Mullins song.

One of the best tracks is “Only One Too”, with its excellent chorus, and then comes “Words Get in the Way”, another good song with country roots. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but “Drive To You” reminds me a lot of “I Drove All Night”, and this one is another attention-getting track.

“Last Dance Rodeo” is, as you may have guessed, a full fledged country song, and the longest on the album at just over 6 minutes – too slow and too long for my taste. If you’re in the mood for more slow music, stay tuned for “Fragile Heart” which sounds more like vintage Jewel and the folk-country auto-biographical “Stephenville, TX”.

Winding down the album are “Where You Are” and “1000 Miles Away”, and by the time you get this far you feel emotionally drained, having shared some very personal moments and a lot of angst with Jewel from various phases of her life.

Her most revealing album so far, long on the trademark poetic storytelling, and one for quiet listening moments.

Amanda Richards, May 2, 2006

Jewel through many a curveball back in 2003 when she released 0304, which took her trademark confessional lyrics and set them against a mostly upbeat(and occasionally dance-driven)beat, much to the consternation of many of her fans. I was in the minority, as it was in my opinion her best album to that point, and follow-up GOODBYE ALICE IN WONDERLAND is on an even level of quality with that disc. Returning more to the sound of her THIS WAY album, Jewel again keeps things rather upbeat(musically) this time around, not thanks to dance backdrops but with the addition of a slightly harder rock sound, probably due to producer Rob Cavallo's hand in things. It's a good fit for the singer, who rocks out harder than ever on such tracks as "Only One Too", "Works Get In The Way", and "Drive To You". It also provides her with her most accessible set of songs to date, which is a shame considering that the album has been all but ignored since its' release--as was noted elsewhere, nearly every song here could have been a single. Too bad her record company didn't have the good sense to see that.

[Note: I am a professional music critic. My review hereunder was published in the Jordan Times last September. It is not copyrighted however.]

An authentic Jewel

By Jean-Claude Elias

She's young, blond, good-looking and fashionable, plays the guitar and possesses a superb soprano-like voice. And yet Jewel is unlike the too many female singers who today would fit the above, somewhat commercially pre-formatted profile. I found at least two reasons why the lady is truly different from the crop: her songs are as sincere as they can be and, in a certain way, conjure up the rebellious sound and words of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and the like. Not to mention that she writes her own material - not a minor point.

"Goodbye Alice in Wonderland", Jewel's latest CD, released just a few months ago, continues the trend she started back in 1995 with her stunning "Pieces of You" debut album. The artist is still smartly provocative, never shocking. Most of her lyrics are introspective. "Piece of You" was heavily centered on Jewel's voice and guitar performance. The new disc has a more elaborate, wider instrumental structure, the singer being backed up now by a first-class band. The musicians take the music to the edge of folk-rock with some songs played with distorted guitar riffs and chords that even Jon Bon Jovi wouldn't deny.

Jewel hasn't change her singing style - why should she? She easily moves from low notes to higher ones while slightly changing the colour of the sound on the way up. It's a bit as if one voice was doing the low notes and another voice the higher ones, while maintaining an essential consistency. The 13 tracks cover a good range of moods, from poetic, slow and soft ones like "Long Slow Slide" to heavier pieces like "Only one too". "Drive to You" for example is a pleasant, Jewel-flavoured country song.

Throughout the whole album Jewel's distinctive, intelligent, crystal-ringing acoustic guitar playing ensures a sense of unity. On the title track "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" Jewel sings "...trying to think about my life, my youth scattered along the highway, hotel rooms in headlights, I've made a living with a song, guitar as my companion..."

Jewel - her full name is Jewel Kilcher - is an accomplished songwriter. She wrote her first songs when she was still a teenager. The type of humour and sarcasm she sometimes makes use of when writing is one of the ingredients that makes her songs unique. This is not without reminding us of another great female American songwriter and vocalist, Suzanne Vega. But whereas Jewel hails from Texas, Vega is a New-Yorker, hence a difference in style.

If I had to select a handful of women songwriters-singers who have left their imprint on the pop music scene in the past ten years or so, Jewel would certainly be included. The entire CD shows how much the musician has matured since her debut while preserving the essential qualities that made her a real star, which certainly is here to stay. This is her 6th album and the technical production is second to none. The programming of the 13 tracks constitutes a listening sequence where songs are varied in tempo and mood, making you want to play the album in one go; and even in a loop.

Confessional folk-rock singer-songwriter Jewel has always delivered albums containing some great, memorable singles with the remainder being lots and lots of filler; her latest offering does not follow the same suit as previous releases, though. Instead, the album is the most consistent in Jewel's ten year career. From the enchanting opener "Again and Again" to fan-favorite "Drive To You," to the beautiful "Words Get In The Way" and the sugary sweet delight "Where You Are," this disc is far more enjoyable and engaging than any of its predecessors. Sure, it has its missteps as evident in the long slow slide that is "Long Slow Slide," but the remainder of Jewel's new record is strong, consistent and highly entertaining.