What people search:
 | Title : This Way
Author : Jewel
Release Date : 20011113
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.28
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Editorial Reviews :
It's easy to see that Jewel wants to lighten up. With two previous multimillion-selling albums (and a couple of much-scorned but popular books) filled with earnest, clueless revelations behind her, the singer-songwriter comes a little closer to ground with This Way. 'Give it hell 'til the end,' a former compatriot urges her on 'Till We Run Out of Road,' her version of Jackson Browne's 'The Load Out.' Could that be a hard-bitten road warrior deep inside the woman who makes a point of pronouncing the O's in the opening line ('Mirror, mirror') of this CD's 'Serve the Ego'? Maybe. But despite her icky streak's spread to cutesy jokes ('Jesus Loves You'), Jewel hasn't quite abandoned her old judgmental ways (in 'I Won't Walk Away,' she spies a couple 'resisting being one') and ambitions to, you know, really say something, as in the 'Desolation Row'-lite 'The New Wild West.' Still, with some nice, if bland, arrangements set around her, This Way is the Jewel album most likely to appeal to Jewel non-fans.
Buyer Reviews :
Okay, I'll be honest. I am a Jewel fan, and would probably listen to her reading the Oxford dictionary. That said, her first two albums, Pieces of You and Spirit, were far from perfect. Pieces of You was understandly amateurish and rough-edged, while Spirit was too mellow and overproduced. Neither even compare with her excellent live repertoire, and they sadly gather dust in my CD collection.
...Which brings us to This Way. This album knocks my socks off! It's rougher-edged and more natural than Spirit; you can tell that Jewel is for the first time truly comfortable in the studio. Her vocal prowess is evident in many songs, especially 'Love Me Just Leave Me Alone,' in which she lets out a Janis Joplin-esque scream. No more restrained, play-it-safe stylings for our favorite folk singer.
If there's one thing Jewel consistently nails, it is the art of the love song. In 'I Won't Walk Away,' Jewel sings 'Wrong or right / Be mine tonight / Harsh world be damned / We'll make a stand / Love can bind / But mine is blind / Others stray / But I won't walk away.' Just hearing her beautiful lyrics combined with the rich tonal quality of her voice and the romance-tinged music is enough to set you into a dazed stupor.
Jewel also hasn't lost her sense of reality, leaving in a slight guitar screw-up at the beginning of live bonus track 'Sometimes It Be That Way,' which is evident throughout the whole album. Almost every track was recorded live with a band in the studio, unlike the numerous vocal layerings and smooth-over approaches of most recording artists. This gives an almost live atmosphere to the album.
Overall, This Way is an amazing album and is destined to be looked back as one of the highlights of Jewel's career.
(by Scott)
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