Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 12-01-1999: Jewel - C.D. Spirit

Jewel (Kilcher) is an American (folk) singer, who grew up in Alaska as the daughter of 2 music performers, so she already made her first public performance at age 6. After years of struggling through several jobs, she suddenly became an instant success as a live performer in San Diego coffee shops. Her way of making music reminds you a lot of the sit-ins of the 60's where there always was a girl with a guitar who sang songs of hope and love. At my high school (or at least the Dutch equivalent of that) there also was a girl like that, I think her name was Sandra something or other, who could captivate a crowd with a guitar and her voice.

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"Spirit" is Jewel's second CD and the follow-up to her very successful 1995 debut-album "Pieces of you". I bought that one after I heard the intense single "Foolish games" (a worldwide hit). Although there were a few other great/good songs like "Who will save your soul", "You were meant for me" and "Pieces of you" on the first CD, "Spirit" to me is a more mature record. Most songs on the first album sounded like poems were some music (too little) was added, while "Spirit" contains actual songs with poetic lyrics. Lyrics were and still are the strong point of Jewel's music. Don't buy her albums if you want rocking guitars or powerful drums, it's all about the vocals and the message therein. Most people could not deliver this kind of message of love, faith and hope of a better world without being taken for hypocrites, but somehow Jewel makes you believe that she means what she sings. The opening sentence of the first single "Hands" are typical of that: "If I could tell the world just one thing, it would be that we're all OK and not to worry 'cause worry us wasteful". A skeptic man like myself would call this naive, but hearin' it sung by Jewel almost makes me a believer. My favorite songs (besides "Hands") would be "Deep water" (message: when you're in trouble, believe in yourself and our friends), "Innocence maintained" (a protest against violence and hatred), "Life uncommon" (be a good person and good will come to you), "Down so long" (the second single), "What's simple is true" (the tittle says it all) and "Fat boy" in which she again shows remarkable empathy for the less fortunate (in this case the physically challenged) like in the tittle track of her first album. My rating for this album is a 7.5 .

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