Sweet and wild; there are no better words to describe Jewel. Her work has both cute and boisterous elements. The differences between her debut Pieces of You (1995), the pop album 0304 (2003) and the children's CD Lullaby (2009) are therefore enormous. The singer doesn't seem to feel at home anywhere and constantly changes course, something that turns out to be varied but always creates exciting
… situations. Jewel's penultimate album, 2009's Perfectly Clear, had a country slant and that road continues on Sweet And Wild. The most important contribution is that of producer and musician Nathan Chapman. He is Taylor Swift's permanent producer and that says almost everything. Jewel's songs are packaged as teen country and that doesn't feel right at all. If you listen carefully, you will hear that Jewel's voice has been tinkered with, as if Chapman wanted to make her sound like a younger woman. A deadly sin, because the American still has a good voice. This is evident from the extra CD that comes with the deluxe version. On this Jewel brings the same songs in a solo line-up and she may sound like herself: a relief. (JE)more