Perfectly Clear Reviews

• Country-folk for country folk

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-06-14
  Popular folk singer/songwriter Jewel tries something old for her new album, and comes up country fresh and honey sweet. The tracks are like Carrie Underwood channeling The Carpenters for a perfect blend of vintage country with pop and folk.
  
  The lead single is "Stronger Woman", an anthem for women everywhere who are being taken for granted by the men in their lives. Her advice?
  
  "I'm gonna love myself more than anyone else
  Believe in me, even if someone can't see
  A stronger woman in me"
  
  She follows up with "I Do", which is a song about making a commitment to the person you love. I really like the clever lyrics, and chorus, "'Cause love is a game until it's played / And if it's lost, it can't ever be saved."
  
  For some old-fashioned country violins and stuff, try "Love is a Garden" (a track with a little Shania Twain edge); "Anyone But You"; "Thump Thump" ; "'Til it Feels Like Cheating" (pure country); "Everything Reminds Me of You"; "Love By You (Cowboy Waltz)" (a bit of yodeling here) and "Perfectly Clear"
  
  My son likes "Rosey and Mick", which has a chorus that reminds me of The Carpenters, and I also like "Two Become One" which is very familiar, but I can't recall the song it reminds me of right now. (Maybe "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny and Dolly, combined with "Love Doesn't Ask Why" by Celine Dion)
  
  I prefer Jewel as a folk singer, but I appreciate her experimenting with a variety of styles. This is a very good country album by any standards.
  
  Rated: 4.5 stars
  
  
  Amanda Richards, June 14, 2008
  
  
  

• Perfectly Clear a Gem on First Listen

  
  By A1JUBRIZMO0RJV on 2008-06-03
  I have been a fan of Jewel, since just after her coffee house days, and I have seen her in concert over a dozen times. "Perfectly Clear," is a stunningly gorgeous demonstration of Jewel's unique, fascinating storytelling. Furthermore, the sound is fantastic. I care very little for country music, but this album is fantastic and quickly rose to one be one of my favorite Jewel albums ever despite having only listened fully one time. Typically I need a dozen listens before really understanding and enjoying the sound of an album. Not here, this album is great right off the first push of the play button, and the Jewel storytelling is always clear and there from the start to begin with.
  
  The album is not entirely different from the 2001 album release "This Way." While every Jewel album is superb, I'd certainly take the step to say this is the best produced album since "This Way," as its not overly done, and Jewel's voice is allowed to carry the story.
  
  The variety and quality of songs on here is fantastic. From older treasures, to new creations, they are found here. They will delight you, put you at peace, and entertain you.
  
  My next album hope? This album was fully enjoyed. I still want, someday, the average CD or radio listener to hear the brilliance that is Jewel live. A Jewel live album, or live-style album would further complete her discography.
  
  

• Jewel Fits Country 'Perfectly'

  
  By A3O8YT41TDXL0B on 2008-06-03
  Anyone who has followed Jewel's career beyond the obvious hit singles knows that a country record has been in her cards for a while, and sixth studio album "Perfectly Clear" fits the bill. Whether it be quality album tracks like "Cleveland" from 2001's "This Way" or "Stephenville, TX" from 2006's "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland," each of her albums (save for 2003's misjudged "0304") has demonstrated her potential for the genre. Accusations that the Alaskan singer/songwriter is courting Middle America to sell more records cannot be disproved, but what matters is whether or not the results are worth repeated listens. They are.
  
  Fans of Jewel's body of work not particularly privy to country music can relax and dig in - "Perfectly Clear" is a Jewel album first, a country CD second. The witty, romantic lyricism and catchy melodies typical of her earlier records are both here and stronger than ever. The only difference is typical country music instruments like violins and steel guitars take on an eminent presence. It is executed wonderfully, however; those waiting for the next rootin tootin' Gretchen Wilson record or even country purists should find the album thoroughly absorbing.
  
  Not much has changed as far as Jewel's themes are concerned, and it tends to work for the genre. "Love Is a Garden" joins the ranks of "Break Me" or "Morning Song" with its sticky-as-Christmas-tree sappiness, but its melody is colorful and invigorating. The same goes for "Two Become One," a great improvement on a track from "0304," as well the album's formidable lead single, "Stronger Woman" which has met respectable success on country radio and even pierced the pop charts with its feel-good theme and strong, confident vocal delivery.
  
  Follow-up single "I Do" has the ripest potential for large-scale success, not to mention considerable crossover appeal. With a splendid, chugging, instantly memorable melody and gorgeous lyrics, the song is quintessential Jewel.
  
  "Because love is a game until it's played/And if it's lost, it can't ever be saved/We have heaven to gain and hell to lose/And the difference is up to me and you/So if you will, I will stop saying I won't/And start saying I do."
  
  "Anyone But You" is a passionate, drink-yourself-into-oblivion lamentation of a ballad, making it the most clichedly country song of the record. Jewel pulls it off with her solemn, plaintive vocals extracting emotion out of every note. Meanwhile, "Rosey and Mick," a track that has spent years in her setlists, turns the similar theme of lovers' trysts into a sweeping, widescreen radio-friendly light country rocker with another instantly memorable hook.
  
  "Thump Thump" and "Loved By You (Cowboy Waltz)" also sport memorable melodies that beckon the repeat button in addition to adventurous song structures that reveal different facets of Jewel's considerable talent. "Perfectly Clear," a stark, ingratiating ballad, concludes the album in top-notch fashion.
  
  Jewel is going to retain her existing fanbase and successfully court new listeners if "Perfectly Clear" is given the attention it has coming to it. She should even win back former listeners if they know what's best for them. So she kicked up her heels and had a little fun in 2003. Get over it. These new songs are meaty and substantial with lyrical bite, lovely melodies and the sharpest vocal work of her career.
  
  What more do you want?
  
  

• A unique collection from a wonderful songwriter...

  
  By A1RSEAMWFKC5LD on 2008-06-29
  I've been following Jewel's career since I was 12 years old (I am now in my 20s). I've always just found something so refreshingly honest in her approach to making music. She does it for the real love of it and she's always been striving to get remembered as a songwriter first and a hit-maker second. While that may mean that she's fallen off many people's radar since her huge splash of a debut album, it also means she's tread a unique career path for those fans willing to stick with her.
  
  I thought her last album, 2006's "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland," was perhaps her best record yet. It was a wonderful collection of songs that were obviously deeply personal. I hated the fact that her record company didn't seem to pay attention to it, or to Jewel herself. I was frankly relieved to learn that she had switched to a teeny-tiny new record company and would be fully embracing the country aesthetic her music has had for years. This wasn't a new venture for Jewel. She's always been the daughter of a cowboy and her songs have always had the ballad-y, storytelling quality of old-school country. There have been songs like "Do You," "Cleveland," "Everybody Needs Someone Sometime," "Stephenville, TX," and even "You Were Meant for Me" on all of albums, excepting 2003's out-of-character 0304.
  
  "Perfectly Clear" completely reaches its potential. Jewel has stated that she was inspired by albums like Linda Ronstadt's "Heart Like a Wheel" when creating this album: a collection of less than a dozen songs that you can fully appreciate and absorb in one sitting. There isn't any filler or fat on this album. Each song was clearly approached with all the care and emotion they deserved. The hooks are immediate, the production is gentle and not at all intrusive and the songwriting is the same blend of quirky self-deprication and insightful gravitas that I've come to expect from Jewel.
  
  "Perfectly Clear" may just be the best album Jewel has yet released. It instantly captures every aspect of this musician that I've enjoyed for so many years. It's sweet, romantic, occasionally funny, and always the unique document of one unique woman. No one else could have made this album and I continue to applaud Jewel for leading the career journey SHE wants to lead. I really hope she finds the success she deserves in the country music world.
  
  

• Where has all the good folk gone?

  
  By A6W214GACYRQY on 2008-06-06
  I am huge Jewel fan. This is the worst sell out in the world. I get the feeling that Jewel has become lost in trying to be an artist and people influencing her to sound like something that she is not. It is hard to tell that the singer is Jewel because of all the "enhancing: People didn't like Bob Dylan when he picked up the electric guitar...but this is different its country!!! And not like Johnny Cash Country....bad country..i.e. Big and Rich Country...the downfall of our society!
  
  In Jewels "spirit" Album her song "Do You" and "Everybody needs someone sometime" from her "This Way" album has country undertones and we could see this coming for a long time.
  
  Country music is the feces of the music world. Most of the songs on this cd were beautiful until they were "enhanced" with the country crap background.
  
  Mostly the songs sound like they are forced into some sick country format that doesn't allow the lyrics to be appreciated which is Jewel's strongest asset.
  
  
  
• Just doesn't work.
  By A2XSKPF22WPI03 on 2008-06-07
  Whenever Jewel sings there is a genuineness to her voice that is heard in very few singers. Unfortunately her voice's honesty is lost to the insincerity of the sugary sweet country sound. There is no question that country music today has moved so far away from it's roots it barely resembles anything of substance anymore. Appealing to only women 20 to 35 country music has become the female singer song-writer's best chance at commercial success. Thus I have no doubt this album will succeed in appealing to that audience. Once considered to be the female Dave Mathews, Jewel has taken a huge step backward by releasing an album that's already been released by three other female country singers this year alone. If you like Jewel's indie sound do whatever it takes to avoid this album. If you like mediocre muttled sugary sweet country then enjoy.
  
  
• Pleasantville, Texas.
  By A3AL8GQ69QE7WN on 2008-07-04
  Well all right, Jewel most likely decided to do country music this time because of the poor sales of her last cd, 2006's "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland". I have all of Jewel's cds, and I like her talent, but sometimes she's off the mark. "Perfectly Clear" is okay. It's no Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton or even Carrie Underwood. A good idea to utilize John Rich (of Big & Rich) to help produce, but the results just kind of lie there.
  
  "Perfectly Clear" is unmoving all the way through. Background music. Average Jewel. A valiant attempt that didn't quite succeed, but also not a complete failure. The songs are pleasant, and they come and go without a second thought. After listening all week, I didn't feel there was a true pop or country hit on this disc. Jewel is capable of some very good music like "Who Will Save Your Soul?", "Hands", "Standing Still", "Intuition" and "Good Day". There aren't any songs like these on "Perfectly Clear".
  
  Now don't get me wrong, some of the songs have good melodies like "I Do", "Love Is A Garden", "Thump, Thump", "Perfectly Clear" and "Stronger Woman", but overall things are rather bland here.
  
  That being said, I know I'm going to anger many Jewel fans, but I still think it was quite daring (and excellent) what she did on "0304". Fans felt she sold out, but I saw it as artistic growth. For some reason, Jewel retreated, almost afraid of what she had done and seemingly from the negative reaction of her fans, but fans should not hamper an artist's creative juices. For Jewel, "Perfectly Clear" isn't far off from what she started with on "Piece Of You", so I don't understand the reviews saying that she's sold out, or that she's terrible doing country music. Folk music isn't that different from country music.
  
  The problem isn't that Jewel went country. The problem is that she didn't deliver the goods. There aren't any hits here. The cd is pleasant, but lifeless. It's like eating and ice cream--tastes good, but ultimately it's empty calories.
  
  Next time, I'd like to see Jewel do something daring with her folk roots. She should take a page from John Mellencamp. He has demonstrated that he knows how to blend folk, pop, rock, blues, hip hop, country into something magical and all his own. Jewel really needs to step up to the plate at this point in her career.
  
  
• Jewel's "Perfectly Clear" Gateway to Country Music
  By A3CPA0XGKNY9ZJ on 2008-06-04
  Prime Cuts: Anyone But You, Two Become One, Thump, Thump
  
  Once upon a time many a county artist had an eye for pop crossover success. However, the tide has turned: nowadays, more and more pop artists are crossing the ever-lowering hedge into the country fold. Jewel is a parading example. Once a fixture on the pop charts when "You Were Meant for Me/Foolish Games" spent over a year on Billboard's Hot 100, now Jewel has teamed up with John Rich (of Big and Rich) to release her first country effort on Big Machine's Valory Records. Nevertheless, "Perfectly Clear" is not the standard pop waxing garnished with fiddles passed as a country output. In terms of its production execution, lyrical themes, and melodic structures, this is a bona fide country record. Take a listen to "Loved By You (Cowboy Waltz)" and you'll hear Jewel even attempting a yodel--a rare fleet almost unheard of even from today's staunchest country acts.
  
  Jewel who has written or co-written all but one track here brings in her worldly-wise acumen escalating the lyrics of many of these songs beyond the nomenclatures of your stand fare of heartbreak and love so prevalent in today's country music. "Rosey and Mick," a tale of domestic violence is dressed in a narrative that trumps with arresting lines like "She let him in, he lifted up her dress/Like an apology began to kiss her breast/And he felt much relieved as the ceiling fan tapped out a broken melody." Heartaches doesn't get more morose than the stone cold country tearjerker "Anyone But You," drenched in the rustic mores of fiddles and steel, that almost transports us back to era of Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. "Till It Feels Like Cheating," the only non-Jewel original, follows in the traditional path without having the poignancy of "Anyone But You."
  
  However, not all is sad: Starting off with her understated girlish vocals, "Thump, Thump" has a dreamy feel as a love-drenched Jewel indulges in the flushes of burgeoning love. "Two Become One," which first appeared on Jewel's dance record "0304," gets a country makeover. The romantic lyrics, the engaging melody, and Rich's crisp production make "Two Become One" a percolating country hit waiting to happen. Fueled by its bluesy, smoking, and intense backing, the percolating "I Do" has the immediacy of radio appeal. Vanguard single "Stronger Woman," already a top 20 country hit, is a so-so inspirational type of popish ditty celebrating the strength of womanhood. Though it feeds radio's insatiable appetite for such feel-good paeans, lyrically and melodically "Stronger Woman" isn't quite that strong.
  
  As they say 7 is a lucky number, album 7 may be Jewel's best CD to date. Carefully crafted each song tells of a different story yet they are all limned together by Jewel's oft fragile yet affecting vocals. This CD is not just a desperate attempt by a pop artist who has reached the end of her teeter in the rock market. Rather, this is country through and through. Though Jewel has a huge spade in crafting these songs, she has avoided the trappings of non-melodic overindulgence so prevalent on many records by singer-songwriters. Strong melodic constructions and insightful lyrics still remain the contributing factors why this disc is "perfectly clear" the gateway to a luminous career for Jewel in country music.
  
  
  
• Jewel impresses me once again!
  By A1X0ZA2SGHXOFY on 2008-06-11
  At first I was dubious about her making a country album but I should have known not to have any doubts when it came to her music. This genre fits her perfectly and that's good cause she still has two more albums in her contract to fulfill with her new label Valory. "Love by You" is fantastic cowboy old-school country and is beautiful as ever. "I Do" is a catchy modern country song with great lyrics and her voice sounds so cool on this track. I am so glad she chose it as the second single and I hope it's a hit. The song "Till It Feels Like Cheating" is the first track that she didn't write that she included on an album. I can see why she included it because it allows her to show her range and has interesting lyrics about cheating with your own spouse. I could see this song hitting it big as well and hope it's the third single. Anyway, all in all, the album is fantastic and will get many more listenings by me! Thanks Jewel once again!
  
  
• Good CD
  By A315BRWZLUPBUZ on 2008-06-05
  I don't think anyone is surprise that Jewel came out with a country CD. When she first came out she was considered a folk singer which isn't too far from country. If you liked Jewel's previous albums or country music you'll like this cd. Stronger Woman, Loved by you, Till It feels like cheating, I Do, Everything Reminds me of you, Anyone But you are my favorite songs from this cd.
  
  The only thing about the album I did not like is she included Two Become One, so if you have been buying her cds you now have two versions of this song (was on her 0304 album). Just like what she did on Goodbye Alice with "Fragile Heart". I would rather have new material than buying songs I already own.
  
  
• Not Country - doesn't work
  By A3A0KPQ1458501 on 2008-06-09
  Let me start by saying I like Jewel. But this collection is a failure.
  Her voice is not very country. And the songs are not country songs!
  Listen to them. They are really her traditional folk/pop style songs,
  themes and melodies with pedal steel, banjo, fiddle, etc layered on
  there to try to give them a country sound. I think this makes
  the arrangements clumsy and insincere.
  
  I found myself feeling that every one of the songs would have
  been much better with some electric guitars and piano, and played
  more like rock songs, instead of using the
  countrified instrumentation that feels way out of place.
  
  Songwriting-wise, the gem in the whole set is "'Til It Feels Like Cheating". THAT could be a GREAT country song. It's got the slightly-offbeat unsettling story-telling that is the hallmark of a truly great country lyric. You don't expect a woman to describe her passion with her man to be "like cheating." It's dangerous, a little racy, yet sincere and warm. Unfortunately, Jewel's voice is all wrong for this kind of song.
  
  
• Bland Production
  By A2NI1SOAF7YRH6 on 2008-06-11
  Jewel's transition into country seemed like it would of been a great transition, since her yodeling and folk-like songs sound alot like the old days of country western. Maybe if she would of picked a better producer, it would have shined brighter. Big & Rich always make elaborate albums, you would of thought producing this album it would have more bang or a few more uptemos in it--but that is not the case. The songs are slowed down to elaborate on Jewel's melodic pipes, but this throwback to Patsy Cline is more of a bore than a satisfying album. Although this album isnt a total flop...Stronger Women, Love Is A Garden, and Mikey & Rose are very good catchy compositions of pop, so just go ahead and download those tracks individually. However with the remainder of the album, it tends to sound the same and never picks up the pace--not even once in the second half. 0304 was a big departure but at least it was an entertaining and stronger listening collection, where this one just sounds like it should have been more risky and exciting for a debut in a new genre
  
  
• JEWEL "PERFECTLY CLEAR"
  By A2ZS35FT9T3H4Y on 2008-06-15
  From her wide vocal range to her very clever and interesting lyrics, Jewel is without doubt one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time. Most artists tend to have a greater strength with either their vocals or lyrics, however with Jewel, it's difficult to even begin to choose simply because she is a master at both.
  
  It is hard to pick which box Jewel's music fits into, whether it's Folk, Pop or Country music, Jewel's voice and lyrics are what keeps her unique style as an artist.
  
  A country album has been on the cards for a while now with Jewel, but due to her distinctive style in both her vocals and lyrics, "Perfectly Clear" ends up being a Jewel album first and a country album second. Jewel has shown that whether it's folky songs, Christmas songs, a full Pop album or the odd Folk/Pop, Pop or Country song she is more than capable of making any type of music she has released work on a high level.
  
  Yet again, on "Perfectly Clear" Jewel's vocals and songwriting remain in excellent form and the album as a whole is as close to a true country album as you will probably get. Jewel doesn't sing with a "country twang" or have typical country sounds to pass it off as a country album, she has taken her time and worked with John Rich to produce the album and the outcome really is a masterpiece.
  
  "I Do" is probably the catchiest song on the album, it's an uptempo song which is currently working it's way up the country single charts, after having played "Rosey And Mick" live over the years, it finally gets studio recorded for this album, "Love Is A Garden" and "Thump, Thump" are two nice little midtempo songs, "Till It Feels Like Cheating" and the title track "Perfectly Clear" are great ballads, "Loved By You (Cowboy Waltz)" sees Jewel do a bit of yodelling which is really cool and I'd say that "Everything Reminds Me Of You" is the best song on the album, it's a great ballad, with great lyrics and great vocals, just like the whole album actually.
  
  I think it's fair to say that Jewel will more than likely stick to making country albums for quite some time now, and after hearing this, it would definitely be a good choice.
  
  
• Beautiful. It does me in.
  By A1TWTULVD6F22O on 2008-06-21
  I'm always startled when I'm taken by a disc on the first listen. Just yesterday I acquired the newest Emmylou Harris CD - an artist I go back with for decades; someone who just can't make bad music, and on the first listen I found it - uninteresting. I'm sure it'll grow on me.
  
  Such is not the case with "Perfectly Clear", the new country album from Jewel. It's been evident for some time, with Jewel's interest and appearances in the television show "Nashville Star" that her heart is rooted in country music. She's a bit of an anomaly there, since her heart is in the lyric and the beauty of the lyric, not something always pursued in country music. Indeed "Stronger Woman" the first release from the CD is more formulaic than the rest of this Jewel CD is comfortable with. "I Do", the second song is also easy to see as a hit. Jewel's little girl voice quality is utilized to perfection on "Love Is A Garden", and "Thump, Thump". Jewel collaborated with John Rich (Big and Rich) as a producer on this CD, and she seems a little uncomfortable with Rich's shameless pushing of the CD on the TV show (never revealing his own participation).
  
  In the liner notes, Jewel credits her musical influences to Loretta Lyn and Joni Mitchell, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Linda Rondstadt and Brenda Lee. You can, with a little imagination, see each of them in her own compositions (some of which were written years ago and only just now recorded). From the first notes, I was taken with the whole CD...it did not bog down in the middle for me, as did her concept CD "Alice in Wonderland". And while others note that the steel guitar is used liberally throughout the backgrounds of all the songs, the steel remains my most treasured instrument, and I loved the use of it. Also scattered liberally throughout the compositions is the Wurlitzer, mandolin, banjo and dulcimer. Together, although perhaps a little overproduced, this rich backdrop sets the stage for Jewel's romantic collection. "Anyone But You" takes the biggest advantage of traditional country, and will perhaps be the least favored by Jewel's folk followers. I loved it.
  
  My personal favorite on the CD is surprisingly the only song NOT written by Jewel, the ballad "Till It Feels Like Cheating" ... and while it's not as lyrically surprising as others, the twist of the song is in keeping with a Jewel ballad. It's book-ended with great choices.. a remake of her "Two Become One" from the pop album (and frequently reviled) "0304". This time backup vocals on "Two" belong to John Rich...
  
  "...Like a bird owns its wings
  Like song belongs to melody
  You belong to me
  I fold your arms around me
  Let your flesh, your breath, your love surround me
  You feel like home."
  
  And on the backside, "Everything Reminds Me of You" showcases the big voice, as does the song she sings to the memory of her father... "Loved By You" featured as a Cowboy Waltz, with the brave and beautiful yodel that Jewel's rolled out on television appearances and in "Alice in Wonderland".
  
  That brings me to "Perfectly Clear", which closes the CD, and, for me completes the picture of Jewel's influences ...Dylan. There's a departure from the heavy steel here, drawing on piano and viola....I've heard this influence in several of her older songs, and here it is evident to me, in the small ramblings, in the exquisite lyric, in the way she shakes down the phrase... "no need to explain, it's perfectly clear" ....
  
  And in this CD, it's perfectly clear. Jewel is an artist, comfortable with her muses, somewhat greater than her discography makes her out to be. The CD shines.
  
  
  
• Perfectly bad...
  By AK7IZMI209AIR on 2008-07-09
  Hate to say it, but Jewel has definitely become a sell-out. Lately she seems to throw herself into any genre that's popular at the moment (see her "0304" CD for more evidence of this). Bon Jovi did a country album, then Def Leppard does a song with Tim McGraw, and now Jewel comes out with this. Give me a break. As soon as I hear pedal steel guitar, banjo or fiddle in a song I tend to change the station as quickly as possible. Jewel should go back to her roots and the honest songwriting on "Pieces Of You", her first and by far her best work. This, on the other hand, is a weak and feeble attempt at being trendy. Big thumbs down...
  
  
• not feeling it
  By A24NET901DWXQ5 on 2008-07-14
  I have always been a fan of Jewel's but I am really having a hard time with this CD. I just don't "feel" it. I think there are only 3 songs I kinda like on the CD. I usually feel confident buying her music but after this I will definetly be listening to samples beforehand from now on...
  
  
• One of Jewel's Best albums!
  By A2R781KJ3R67XX on 2008-06-03
  This is one of Jewel's best album since Spirit! If anyone remembers Jewel stated that she was going to try Country back either before or after Spirit was released on MTV. Jewel's last 3 albums flop, they did good but not as well as the release of "Pieces Of You" and "Spirit".
  
  The album "This Way" was going to be a huge hit but because of what had happen in 2001 no one was really intertested in the music scence that much. She had big hits like "Standing Still", "Serve The Ego", "Break Me", and "This Way". But sadly they were over looked by the public.
  
  Jewel then tried something she always wanted to try with her album "0304". The album was a major change for Jewel but was also a major flop. Her first single "Intution" shock everyone! Everybody wanted to know where the folk Jewel went. The album barely sold and not many singles were released for the album. She only had "Intution", "2 Become 1", and "Stand".
  
  On Jewel's 5th album "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland" major review people shot it down when her first single "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland" was released. Stating that "...we're tired of hearing Jewel's life story in every album...". Her songs were mixed between all her past albums. She had some good hits such as "Again and Again", "Good Day", "Only One Too", and "Stephenville, TX". In my personal thoughts Jewel did a great job with this album.
  
  Now on Jewel's 6th album "Perfectly Clear" she finally took the step towards Country music. Her first song "Stronger Woman" is doing very well on the billboard charts. All Jewel fans thought it might have been a little over done and flop like the past 3 albums. But this album is very well done.
  
  Some of the best tracks are of course "Stronger Woman", "Til' It Feels Like Cheating", "Thump, Thump", "Rosey & Mick", and my very personal favorite "Love By You (Cowboy Waltz)"(This is actually the very FIRST song I cried at and the one to do that was Jewel!).
  
  There are some downers to the album as well. "Two Becomes One" has resurface as a track on the CD but with a little change to the lyrics and a new Country sound. "Rosey & Mick" was one of Jewel's B-side tracks that was really only sung at concerts, like "Last Dance Rodeo" which appeared in "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland". Last but not least, not many people will probabley catch on to this but in her new song "Love Is A Garden" Jewel plays the same melody as the acoustic version of "You Were Meant For Me" which can be heard on her "Hands" Import Single. The song has the same type of insturmental but with a little country twist to it.
  
  Over all this album does get it's 5 star rating and is a must have weather your a Jewel fan(like myself) or a fan of Country music. Don't miss your chance on this amazing album!
  
  
• Jewel Finally Returns to Her Roots
  By AMKJ4OV411ZTD on 2008-06-03
  Im very impressed upon the first listen, and this is coming from someone who doesnt like country music. But its Jewel!! So of course I had to get it and like other reviews have said she has always somewhat had this sound in the past, its just comes full circle now. And its not twangy country to me, its well produced and finely polished. Love the yodel on cowboy waltz, love the stronger woman single, love is a garden, actually there is not a bad song in the bunch. My only complaint is why did she need to do Two Become One again!?!?! Its better here than on 0304, but I just didnt see any need to rehash that song. Aside from that though the album is worth every penny and its so good to hear her again, sounding the best I think she ever sounded. I cant wait to hear this more daily as I will love it more with each listen. Jewel fans welcome her back with this, and country fans you will find a new favorite with Jewel. Its so nice to hear her get away from those band rock songs and back to pure vocals and rootsy, folksy, and now mainstream country music.
  
  
• Thump Thump, I'm in love.
  By A1LH3TO4K6WIQK on 2008-06-04
  Okay, I love 0304. Really, I do. But come on! Perfectly Clear is just pure perfection. Who knew Jewel had this in her! Highlights in the album are Thump Thump, Anybody but You, I Do, and Two Become One.
  
  Ugh. I can't stop playing it! I haven't felt this passionate about a cd since Dido's "Life For Rent".
  
  
• Sweet
  By A354BP85IU4TAQ on 2008-06-04
  Jewel's treacly country-pop confection is a lot like cotton candy: fluffy, light, and easily consumed. It should appeal to her previous audience and embrace the "American Idol" set, but it comes with a cautionary note. Like most treacle, overindulgence by adults is likely to result in projectile vomiting.
  
  
• Good effort, easy (obvious) transition
  By APU3OBFE7XC2V on 2008-06-05
  Jewel's latest effort serves her well. She has cut country-sounding tracks since her Spirit album over a decade ago. I think she is too brashly criticized for "switching genres" too often, but really the mark of a great artist is versatility. She has had a lot of success on pop radio with her first three albums, she let her hair down for the dance album 0304 (not my favorite Jewel album, but quite a good dance-pop album compared to other dance-pop albums), she made an excellent, very underrated introspective album with Alice in Wonderland, and now she makes an easy transition into country which is about the only place you can tell story-telling, folkie songs on the radio any more. My favorite tracks are Stronger Woman (the lead single) as well as Rosy and Mick, which I believe she wrote as a teenager (a live performance of this song is available on the Live at Humphrey's DVD, circa 2001), Thump Thump, and Perfectly Clear, though honestly all the tracks are quite good. Two Become One is an interesting cover of her own song from the 0304 album. I don't think her voice has been this strong or rich on an album before (though you know if you've seen her live what a powerful instrument she has). Overall it's an incredibly good album (though This Way will always be my favorite I think).
  
  
• A FINE GEM...
  By ADFR0SMWK9YX7 on 2008-06-08
  Country,pop or whatever,Jewels latest is quite enjoyable.I am a fan of different styles and genres of music and like it when I see an artist explore.One of her finest in a while. It has the trademark Jewel sound,with a country twang.Stronger Woman,I Do,Two Become One,Everything Reminds Me of You and Perfectly Clear highlight this well crafted release. If you have been a fan of Jewels since the beginning,there is no reason not to pick this one up. Go get it...A solid 4.5 for a fun and quite enjoyable effort...
  A Gem from Jewel...
  
  
• Typical Beautiful Jewel Music.
  By A16EJ3UFACGSKO on 2008-06-09
  I think its just this simple. If you enjoy Jewel's music in general, you will love this cd. What i like most is its consistency. I dislike mellow music that puts a few fast ones in, or fast music that puts a few slow ones in. This stays true to semi mellow-- typical Jewel. And for me, its real nice.
  
  
  
• She could do any genre but...
  By A3OMTL0LJM3CQF on 2008-06-10
  ...maybe it's bad production. I love Jewel, and I think her vocals and lyricism have no limitations, and can encompass any genre. That's my problem with this album. It feels claustrophobic and restricting. Her previous outings saw Jewel moving between genres (especially in This Way, where jazz, world, pop, folk, and coutry lived in harmony), but in Perfectly Clear, John Rich delineated a very tiny box. Every song has steel guitars, and though I love that sound, it becomes cloying. He brings nothing new to "Two Become One"; "Cowboy Waltz" is no longer a waltz (is that 2/2 I hear? Totally mangled. I'm glad I have a version that's in 3/4 in my library); "Perfectly Clear" seems to once have been a beautifully stark folk song, but in the album its an overproduced country ditty. And where's the grit? What little of it there is is on the non-Jewel song "Til it Feels Like Cheating." Where's the mid-tempo punch of "Cleveland" or "Everyobody Needs Someone Sometime"? And it all feels hypothetical and generic, unlike the realism in "Till We Run Out of Road." Though I have to say, the songs remain catchy, especially "Thump, Thump" and "Everything Reminds Me of You," but I'm left wondering what Lester Mendez would have made of these songs (I heart 0304).
  
  =w=
  
  
• Another great Jewel CD
  By A24YOWZVAC0KM2 on 2008-06-20
  This is a nice easy listening album but it's too short, especially for Jewel. She's probably the only female artist I can listen to over and over again and not get tired of. By the time I put the CD in, it seems like it's already halfway over. I have all of Jewel's CD except for 0304. I like this album, but it seems to be missing something, not sure what it is, maybe it's just the fact it's so short, it leaves you wanting more. She has an amazing voice, and I don't know if it showcases her singing abilities as well as it could have, like in her previous albums. Although I know it is labeled country, it could have a little more variation in style. I always thought of Jewel as more of a folk artist anyway, so this seems like a very natural transition for her, although some of the songs do sound more on the pop side to me than country. I really liked her last 2 albums as well and I thought they leaned more on the country side but with a little more variation in music and singing style than this one. My favorite tracks on this CD are Stronger Woman, I do, Thump Thump, and Anyone but you. In any case, it's still great music and I hope she continues to make more of it.
  
  
• Apparently, Anyone Can Sing Country Nowadays.
  By A2I9Q8GMUX4JDE on 2008-06-21
  It seems that country has become the genre for people who are no longer successful in pop music. For some people it works, for other not so much. Jewel is a "not so much" for me and this album dissapoints, especially since a.) I LOVE country music and b.) I am a fan of Jewel's earlier work.
  
  Jewel doesn't have the voice to be a country diva like Faith Hill or Carrie Underwood. Her songs don't have the sound and energy to put her in the Taylor Swift and Julianne Hough group. And her sound doesn't scream country like Julie Roberts or LeeAnn Womack. Jewel stands alone compared to these other female country stars, but not because of a unique sound or memorable songs. While Jewel's vocie is recognizable, all are of her songs are pretty forgetable. The only songs I enjoyed on this cd were "I Do" and "Perfectly Clear."
  
  If you're a diehard Jewel fan - add it to your collection.
  If you're a diehard country fan - your collection does not need this cd.
  
  
• Will the real Jewel please stand up?
  By A27HTDACUWN8ZI on 2008-07-08
  Jewel is a great American voice without an identity. She seems to always want to cash in on whatever genre of music is hot at the moment and the result is bland, uninspired music, that at its source, comes more from a cold corporate soul than from the heart. Listen to her early stuff and you will see just how lost she comes off. If you have ever seen her live performances, she weighs heavily on her roots and comes off much better than her shallow, high-gloss recordings.
  
  
• I don't think she's ever coming back
  By A2RTA0NCGYGCFC on 2008-07-25
  First off, I was a huge Jewel fan. Have every CD (up to 0304) and have seen her multiple times live.
  
  What happened to the folky Jewel? What happened to the girl and her guitar? When she is playing live, she is amazing, especially if she is playing acoustic and not with a band. Don't get me wrong, she has some awesome songs she did with her band ("Down," "Carnivore," etc.) it just isn't the same as these over-produced albums that sound like cheesy soundtracks.
  
  I miss her so much.
  
  
• Better than the last few
  By A3A49P70B1NWG5 on 2008-09-07
  I became a Jewel fan immediately upon hearing the Pieces of You cd. I have yet to hear a cd from Jewel that matches the beauty of that cd or the range of her voice. I haven't cared for the cds that she's released since then and keep hoping for one as good as Pieces of You. This cd is the closest one to her original style although she has alot of country nuances. Her voice is clear and nice to listen to, but the songs lack the deep emotions of the first cd. All of songs are love songs but lack true emotion in their presentation. All in all, it's a decent cd, good for listening to in the car when stuck in traffic. But I'm still waiting for a cd that is as good as Pieces of You (minus Adrian, which was unlistenable).
  
  
• Her Best Yet!
  By AGPNXWX0P8XM1 on 2008-06-03
  While many call Jewel a sellout (0304), or just milking the industry for the money (her continuous evolution into other genres), I call Jewel one of the most brilliant and talented artists to ever grace the music industry. Everything she creates is a definite breath of fresh air, and Perfectly Clear is no different.
  
  As many reviewers stated, this album has been in the making for many many moons, as at heart, Jewel has always stated she's a country girl who wanted to do a country album. While Perfectly Clear is distinctly country, at the same time, it is "Clear"ly a Jewel album. The lyrics scream Jewel, the melodies scream Jewel ... and that distinctive voice... yep! Definitely Jewel!
  
  Recommended songs (though I'm biased and think all are fantastic!)
  
  Thump Thump ... after hearing this live, it became my favorite Jewel song. I had just started a new relationship after being in a horrible one, and this song just hit me, as it is how I feel about my current significant other!
  
  I Do ... wow... that's all that needs to be said!
  
  Love is a Garden ... definite single material! Has a ring of You Were Meant for Me.
  
  Rosy and Mick ... if anyone has heard this live, they will note a drastic departure from its roots in the album version. However, it works and is quite catchy!
  
  Perfectly Clear ... when it's just Jewel and a piano, magic happens. Foolish Games, Absence of Fear and now this.... amazing!
  
  Anyone But You ... definite country roots... amazing vocal range and quality on this song!
  
  The rest of the songs are all great, but these are probably the most memorable and impressionable.
  
  

• Julianne Hough
• Love On The Inside [Deluxe Fan Edition]
• Flavors Of Entanglement
• Viva La Vida
• All I Intended to Be