Jewel articles

[ItBeThatWay27]

yes and the sad thing is Nelly Furtado isn't even doing it as a joke or to make fun of.... she's seriously doing the mainstream hip-hop BET thing, .... not that I am hating b/c I do actually like some of the songs on the cd, although like I always say, Folklore is by far the best album from Furtado.
Back to Jewel, yes, none of us want a false Jewel that would make me very sad.

[Little Bird]

Interesting little article about Jewel not resigning with a new label.

Link

[ItBeThatWay27]

ok maybe I'm a little slow, but I just now understand why Gwen Stefani's name was brought up in that other article about yodelling. I consider myself a fan of Gwen, I have been listening to No Doubt since Tragic Kingdom and I have Gwen's first solo cd... so of coarse when I saw her new single "Wind it Up" on the iTunes music store, I went ahead and purchased it.... only to be in shock... what is this? Gwen Stefani yodelling? Now I like Gwen, but I think it's crappy how Jewel's been yodelling for YEARS and nobody really cares, now Gwen does it in the hip-hop urban scene and it's going to be all trendy.... I just think that's crappy.... and didn't someone say she can't even yodel? They just used computers to enhance her voice or whatever?
I think it's a shame.....

[Little Bird]

This is a REALLY great interview - well worth a read

[Little Bird]

Another article.

Link

[patbuchholz]

I kinda read some of these post, the one thing you can bet on is that Jewel can afford to do whatever she wants at this point.
First and formost she is a musician - we just want to play music - you know?

[DreamsLast]

QUOTE: "Her latest CD, 2006's“Goodbye Alice in Wonderland,” didn't live up to the success of 2003's “0304,” which was powered by the single “Intuition” (which, sadly, ended up as the soundtrack to a women's razor commercial)."

You know, that is the first time I've ever really heard someone in the media to call 0304 a success. Most of the things I've read about it stated otherwise...

[DreamsLast]

Originally Posted by Little Bird

This is a REALLY great interview - well worth a read

Very nice article, I agree. This one got a little deeper into the actual songwriting process for her. The way she writes has always amazed me...she has such a unique gift of really capturing an emotion not only in writing music but also performing it. That's what is great about singer-songwriters...you know you're getting the real emotion of the song as it was intended by that person. You never get a false or watered-down interpretation. Jewel is the REAL DEAL!!

[DreamsLast]

QUOTE: "In the video for "Intuition," the album's lead single, Jewel was sporting bras and bikinis, romping around in overly choreographed dance routines. This was a big change from the image of an unassuming, guitar-strumming blonde with crooked teeth, which were straightened by the time 0304 landed in stores."


Jewel had her teeth straightened??????? I don't think she did that. Just look at her most recent videos, she's still got the trademark snaggle tooth! Yet another thing that makes her even more unique! If she ever straightened them, I'd be so upset. It's something that makes her stand out even more, I think.

[ItBeThatWay27]

She didn't get her tooth fixed.... I don't think she ever intends to. I hope not anyways...

[last_dance_rodeo]

I love her tooth

[Little Bird]

Interesting article with some insight on why Jewel's air play isn't so 'hot'

These days, you'll hear and see a more polished Jewel.



On her latest album, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," the 90s folk-pop singer-songwriter shows that she has come full circle -- from a gawky, Alaska-raised crooner of wide-eyed hits, to a glammed-up dance-pop diva and then back to a self-reflecting lyricist, but with a more realized and sophisticated approach.



"It's like a bookend to my first record," says Jewel, whose hits include "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me." "I was 20 when I did my first record, and I was 30 when I started this one. So I thought it was a good time to explore both of those decades and where I've been and where I'm going in my life and career." advertisementOAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1')



In the 11 years since the release of "Pieces of You," which sold 12 million copies, Jewel has altered her image and sound a few times. In the process, she has lost momentum and perhaps a big chunk of her core audience. But the artist says she has no regrets.



"I think music should be liberal," says Jewel, 32. "I never felt like I had to pick a genre to fit into."



Released in May, "Goodbye Alice" is a more energetic, rock-tinged take on the folkish pop that made Jewel a star. The album is the last on her contract with Atlantic Records, the major label that issued her six albums. Jewel says she doesn't know whether she will sign another long-term agreement with the company.



"It's tough for any artist after 10 years to stay on top," says Chuck Taylor, senior correspondent for Billboard magazine, who profiled Jewel in May. "The radio air space for her is limited. Radio today isn't really interested in melodic music."



Jewel's soulfully introspective songs and sparse but polished production made her one of the biggest breakout artists of 1995. Later, she muddied up the mix, so to speak, and tried to stretch her music beyond folkish soundscapes. On her fifth album, 2003's "0304," she briefly transformed herself from a self-serious singer-songwriter with a best-selling poetry book (1998's "A Night Without Armor") to a scantily clad dance-pop diva. The change confused many fans, and Jewel's mainstream appeal plummeted: It was the first Jewel album that sold fewer than a million copies. But the artist sees it as a fulfilling experiment with her sound.



"I think "0304" is one of my best records," Jewel says. "I was just using different colors. You don't want to use blue all the time. Sometimes you want to use yellow, you know?"



Although the music is fuller and richer on "Goodbye Alice," that hasn't translated to impressive sales. The set sold 82,000 its first week in May and since has moved about 250,000 copies. Radio didn't warm to such mature, focused singles as "Again and Again," which peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's pop singles chart, or "Good Day," which sputtered at No. 30.



"We're not dealing with the new album on our Top-40 station," says Kid Kelly, senior director of music programming at Sirius Radio. "Our Hot AC (adult contemporary station) plays more of her older stuff. Nothing against Jewel; she's had her success. As for her new album, we're not digging into it as much as her debut. She's going through an evolutionary stage, and she has to redefine what she wants to do."



At this point, after selling more than 25 million albums worldwide, Jewel doesn't feel a need to musically define herself.



"This isn't a job where everybody likes you," she says. "You have to live your life the way you feel right, so that you can sleep at night."

LINK

[ItBeThatWay27]

I want to give Jewel a hug. I love her........

[Little Bird]

Good interview

By JEFF MAISEY, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 17, 2006


LOOKING AT her schedule, it might be hard to believe singer/songwriter/actress Jewel prefers the quiet life.
Earlier this year she released “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland,” her sixth album since debuting in 1995, and hit the road with a full band during the summer.
She shared the billing on the tour, which made a stop at the nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth, with former Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas.
Before heading out again for the current solo, acoustic tour, Jewel found time to film appearances in episodes of television’s “Las Vegas” and “Men in Trees” as well as the season premiere of “7th Heaven.”
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To top things off, Jewel will host the upcoming season five of “Nashville Star” beginning in January. That’s a lot of activity for someone who’d really rather be walking around her ranch or sitting in a recliner writing new material.
We talked to Jewel as her tour bus was pulling into Portland, Maine.

Q. Do you prefer aspects of the more intimate settings over playing amphitheaters?
A. You know, I started out solo. Every single tour I do, I do a band tour; then I do a solo tour for all my records. I think my fans might prefer me solo. I really enjoy it. It’s a more spontaneous show. It keeps me interested because it’s different every night, and I think the fans feel like they’re getting an authentic show and not something that’s by the numbers.

Q. Your recent album, “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland,” is largely an autobiographical work. What was it like for you growing up in rural Alaska?
A. It was different from how most people live. We lived on a large homestead. There was no electricity, no running water, no plumbing. We lived off the land. I was just raised on a ranch, basically. There were a lot of chores and a lot of work.
My whole family wrote songs and short stories. My family was real creative just to entertain ourselves. My dad was a singer, and so I grew up singing with him. He and I were a duo since I was about 8 years old in barrooms.
So I’ve gigged my whole life , and that’s kind of how we supplemented our income for what we didn’t raise ourselves to eat.
Q. Do you miss that lifestyle?
A. I guess that’s why I live on a ranch now in Texas. I miss the land. Texas is really different. We have 2,000 acres in Texas, but in some ways it’s nicer because we’re not living on the land. We have a toilet, you know? It’s pretty great.

Q. Now that you are a celebrity, are there any drawbacks to being a popular entertainer?
A. Well, I’m a really shy person, and I’m a writer, so it makes me more of a voyeur. I’m not an exhibitionist. That’s been the biggest adjustment for me. I’m not used to being watched – that was kind of hard.

Q. Looking ahead to your hosting season five of “Nashville Star,” how did you become involved?
A. My dad’s a cowboy, and I grew up on a ranch, so I kind of grew up on country music. I’ve been a fan of the genre my whole life, and I’ve watched “Nashville Star.” I asked to be a judge, and then they came to me and asked about hosting. I was a little bit hesitant at first because I’m not a cheerleader, outgoing personality. But I met with the producer, and he totally gets me.
And since I’m a fan of the show, I figured that if you want to have an influence and help those kids, then judging isn’t the best spot because you only have 15 seconds to talk about their performance. As a part of hosting, I get to do a couple of mentoring sessions that I’ll actually spend several hours with the kids and talk to them about performing. And if you think about it, a lot of these contestants have never been onstage, and they have to get up there and bring it like professionals. I just can’t imagine the pressure of it. This will give me some time to give them some tips and talk them through some things the judges aren’t able to.

Q. American TV audiences have a fascination with reality programs. What do you think of the genre overall?
A. It’s fascinating. I think years ago people thought it was going to go away, and it really didn’t. I think people like to see something that’s more like themselves, and that makes it more easy for them to relate to – like, what would they do in that situation? And you just can’t write the drama that happens in real life. No one would believe it.
Q. What have been the challenges in balancing your acting and music careers?
A. It’s funny. I did a movie years ago with Ang Lee as a full-length feature film (1999’s “Ride With the Devil”), and I really enjoy acting, but I decided to cut out acting because you see people turn 50 and 60 and they’ve been so focused on their career that they’re estranged from their family , and I didn’t want to let that happen to me.
I take my time off really serious. I take three years off between records, which management and labels want to kill me for because it kills all my momentum. It hurts my record sales, maybe, being out of the public eye, but I really want to have a life. With acting and balancing music, to tell you the truth, I do as much as I need to give my records a shot, and that’s kind of it.

[Little Bird]

Atlantic always thought that doing a Country album would be Suicide for Jewel

Read the article here

A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY

Jewel says her next CD will have twang
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/17/06
BY CHRIS JORDAN
GANNETT NEW JERSEY

Not everyone can walk into Nashville, Tenn., and become a star, but singer/songwriter Jewel seems to be pulling it off. She will succeed country's Wynonna Judd as host of the upcoming season of USA Network's "Nashville Star."

"People in Nashville are very proud and very protective of their culture, and they don't want people coming in and capitalizing on their culture, and I respect that," Jewel said. "The town is still pretty insular, but I've always been involved with Nashville. My first record ("Pieces of You") was mixed and mastered by Gene Eichelberger, who's real old-school (Nashville).

"I've always been real comfortable in Nashville, where they respect hard work."

Jewel's turn on "Nashville Star," which begins in January, will include mentoring sessions with the "Nashville Star" wannabes.

"I'm not real outgoing and I don't have a cheerleading type of personality," Jewel said. "On other shows when you're a judge, you get 15 seconds to tell the kids how they were, and they're left (thinking) "You've got to give me more.'

"Here, I'm going to help them get some knowledge that they normally wouldn't have."

Jewel's been in the music game for 11 years now, so she has a little bit of knowledge to share. Jewel Kilcher was raised on a homestead in Homer, Alaska, and her father taught her how to yodel for the family's folk act when she was 6.

Later, Jewel found herself living out of her van and singing in San Diego coffeehouses. Her profile grew thanks to those coffeehouse shows and Atlantic Records signed her. Jewel's debut album, 1995's folkie "Pieces of You," became a sleeper hit in the midst of the grunge era and featured the hit singles "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me."

Jewel's most recent album, this year's "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," probably is going to be her last for Atlantic. She would like to broaden her sound and do an entire album of, you guessed it, country.

"(Atlantic) never really wanted me to do a country album — they considered it suicide," said Jewel, who lives with boyfriend and ex-rodeo star Ty Murray in Texas. "Now that I'm at the end of my record deal, I'd like to make a country record and a couple of others where you don't really have the big record sales, like a children's lullaby record and a Cole Porter-style jazz record."

It'll be solo style for Jewel during her upcoming show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.

"I don't have a set list, and the show changes every night," she said. "The audience spends a lot of time talking to me — I enjoy it."

Link