Fish Records - JEWEL - PERFECTLY CLEAR

Full Review

Jewel – Perfectly Clear

While Jewel’s debut album, 1995s ‘Pieces of Me’ was a solid acoustic singer/songwriter disc, her subsequent albums on Atlantic leaned towards pop and she will have dropped off many people’s radars, including mine. ‘Perfectly Clear’ was originally released in the US in 2008 on a small independent label Valory, and has now made it’s way to the UK.

The move to an independent label has given her the freedom to distance herself from the processed pop, and this is a country album that occupies the same space as Lori McKenna and Mary Chapin-Carpenter where country crosses over with folk and pop influences. Jewel deserves to be linked with such strong songwriters and has always had an eye for a sharp lyric and melody, and where as before they may have been overlooked in the processed mixes, here with things a little more open and laid back they’re allowed to shine through.

Her vocals have always been worthy of note and here it’s a strong and clear as ever, and while it’s a country album there are now affectations to her voice, but the phrasing and delivery are effortlessly perfect and hark back to the sensibilities of vintage country. It certainly feels and sounds like a genuine and heartfelt collection rather than an artist just dipping her toes in the country market.

The 11 songs of the album (plus bonus video track on the CD) are a mixture of upbeat songs and classic ballads – the more upbeat songs feel like potential hits, but it’s the slower more considered tracks that steal the limelight and ‘Anyone But You’, ‘Til it Feels Like Cheating’ and ‘Two become One’ are all classic influenced country that are both well written and beautifully performed.

For those who picked up ‘Pieces of Me’ almost 15 years ago and then ignored the more poppy output, ‘Perfectly Clear’ is an album that would a great place to get back on board with; those who don’t know her will find a strong album with well written songs and superb vocals – whichever camp you fall into there’s much to enjoy here.