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Music: Jewel 0304
Jewel may well have lost her older fans because of her latest acquisition ‘0304’ (due to a surprising change in genre), but you can’t blame her because she is trying to catch up with the dancing divas of today. This artistic makeover in style is reflected throughout the album as it surpasses the Alaskan songwriter’s earlier endeavours which she kept simple but un- smart. Hiring Shakira’s and Enrique Iglesias’s producer Lester A. Mendez (the Latin connection) is a move that has pulled off really well. There’s a new air about her. She looks lyrically as impressive as ever, but the dance beats are really a highlight of her performance this time around.
The lead single Intuition has a soft soprano tune accompanied with the accordion in the background, and the sweetly timed voice of Jewel. Sweet Temptation is a sweet- tempered, fast-paced and bouncy track with the catchy couplet intoned by Jewel with such overwhelming force that you listen to it all day, and still feel like moving. Doin Fine is a measured, thoughtful number which is a pleasant evocative of Jewel’s former style. Yes U Can has an optimistic, cheery beat that has potential written all over it. America is another track, which is bound to become a No.1 hit in Iraq and is her own sonnet to Madonna’s American Life.
Jewel’s no longer an ordinary folk singer. She’s a little bit more than that, but at the same time, a little bit less. She lacks the necessary consistency touch. She has been a victim of dwindling sales, and serious criticism over the past. Instead of becoming more mature she has turned to teen pop even though she’s been in the music industry for a decade, with numerous albums to her credit.
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