09
Mar
2004
The first time a person hears Jewel's latest album, 0304, the likely reaction will be something along the lines of "What the hell?"
The singer-songwriter, who broke through in 1995 with an acoustic guitar and her mega-hit debut Pieces of You, has made a dance pop record. Most surprisingly, it's a good dance pop record, startlingly infectious and full of beats and interesting instrumentation, from an accordion opening on "Intuition" to the jazzy slink of "Leave the Lights on" to the delicate xylophone-like keyboard accents of "U & Me = Love."
But don't think that Jewel has entirely abandoned her folkie roots. When asked in a recent interview with the River Cities' Reader about doing a dance record, the 29-year-old bristled at the assertion that the album is little more than a good time. "I do think it's topical and politically driven," she said, citing "Stand" ("On TV, D.C. is selling lies / While in the corner, King's dream dies") and "America" ("Everywhere I go, seems like Bush is on TV / We shed blood in the name of liberty"). She described the album as being about "love, politics, and love."
That's one way of saying that politics take a backseat here. The wonderfully catchy "Yes U Can" features the profound chorus "Say hello 2 the room where the party's jumpin' / Where the boys all freak 'cause boots are bumpin'."
And to promote her dance record, the singer-songwriter is again being unconventional, doing a solo acoustic show at the Adler Theatre next week. It will be interesting to see whether and how Jewel will attempt 0304's tracks in a solo performance.
The material certainly doesn't seem to lend itself to simple guitar-and-voice settings, but then again, she's been willfully defying expectations lately. "I really wanted to challenge people's perceptions of what musical genres are," she said of her record. "Nobody hates anything more than a folk singer doing a dance record. People become incredibly fascist when you fuck with their genres."
But Jewel still considers the material "folk" because it tells a story. In that way, she views the album as a marriage of folk and modern music. Musically, the singer, working with producer/co-writer Lester Mendez, tried to "pull in elements from left field" - such as that accordion - to make the songs distinct and interesting.
Jewel argues that the album, released this past June, rewards whatever level of engagement a listener wants to have with it. The lyrics and music can be challenging, she said, but you can easily lose yourself in the beats and party atmosphere. She calls it "intelligent escapism."
She recorded the album on the eve of a war with Iraq, and she wanted to make a fun record in part "because people are serious all the time." Her models, she claims, were the big-band songs of Cole Porter, smart but smooth.
"I do think that people didn't get it," Jewel said of the reaction to 0304. "I think it's my best album."
And it will probably be some time before another CD finds its way into stores.
Jewel said she's got a catalog of roughly 500 songs written. "They're just piling up," she said. She plans an album of original music in the style of classic standards, a country record, a folk album in the vein of Pieces of You, and on and on.
But because Atlantic, her record label, is now slated to be combined with Elektra as part of a restructuring of Warner Music Group's operations, Jewel said she's going to wait a while before going back in the studio.
Jewel will perform at 8 p.m. on March 18 at the Adler Theatre in downtown Davenport. Tickets are $40 and $50.
But don't think that Jewel has entirely abandoned her folkie roots. When asked in a recent interview with the River Cities' Reader about doing a dance record, the 29-year-old bristled at the assertion that the album is little more than a good time. "I do think it's topical and politically driven," she said, citing "Stand" ("On TV, D.C. is selling lies / While in the corner, King's dream dies") and "America" ("Everywhere I go, seems like Bush is on TV / We shed blood in the name of liberty"). She described the album as being about "love, politics, and love."
That's one way of saying that politics take a backseat here. The wonderfully catchy "Yes U Can" features the profound chorus "Say hello 2 the room where the party's jumpin' / Where the boys all freak 'cause boots are bumpin'."
And to promote her dance record, the singer-songwriter is again being unconventional, doing a solo acoustic show at the Adler Theatre next week. It will be interesting to see whether and how Jewel will attempt 0304's tracks in a solo performance.
The material certainly doesn't seem to lend itself to simple guitar-and-voice settings, but then again, she's been willfully defying expectations lately. "I really wanted to challenge people's perceptions of what musical genres are," she said of her record. "Nobody hates anything more than a folk singer doing a dance record. People become incredibly fascist when you fuck with their genres."
But Jewel still considers the material "folk" because it tells a story. In that way, she views the album as a marriage of folk and modern music. Musically, the singer, working with producer/co-writer Lester Mendez, tried to "pull in elements from left field" - such as that accordion - to make the songs distinct and interesting.
Jewel argues that the album, released this past June, rewards whatever level of engagement a listener wants to have with it. The lyrics and music can be challenging, she said, but you can easily lose yourself in the beats and party atmosphere. She calls it "intelligent escapism."
She recorded the album on the eve of a war with Iraq, and she wanted to make a fun record in part "because people are serious all the time." Her models, she claims, were the big-band songs of Cole Porter, smart but smooth.
"I do think that people didn't get it," Jewel said of the reaction to 0304. "I think it's my best album."
And it will probably be some time before another CD finds its way into stores.
Jewel said she's got a catalog of roughly 500 songs written. "They're just piling up," she said. She plans an album of original music in the style of classic standards, a country record, a folk album in the vein of Pieces of You, and on and on.
But because Atlantic, her record label, is now slated to be combined with Elektra as part of a restructuring of Warner Music Group's operations, Jewel said she's going to wait a while before going back in the studio.
Jewel will perform at 8 p.m. on March 18 at the Adler Theatre in downtown Davenport. Tickets are $40 and $50.
