Perfectly Clear is a mild-mannered effort that buckles under its own weight though its lyrical complexity and traditional flourishes should be lauded, the songs often lack real clarity.
JEWEL PERFECTLY CLEAR SERIES
No emotional turmoil involved, just clear-eyed optimism for a brighter future, and Jewel plays the role with steely resolve.īut those expecting her to come forward fearlessly on her debut country disc find a series of nondescript songs that play out as Jewel’s exhaustive search for identity. And “Stronger Woman” is the empowering story of what happens when the flame can’t be rekindled. Her alluring vocal serves as enticement for her husband as they embark on a sweet-as-sinning tryst at the local motel.
The bluesy “‘Til It Feels Like Cheating” finds Jewel describing married life as a turn-off. “Anyone But You”, easily the most traditional-sounding song in the bunch, is a Wynn Varble co-write that rights the ship momentarily as a warm fiddle wraps itself around a tale of desperation and longing. The gentle “Love is a Garden” is indulgent, as she softly coos that both “need help to grow.” And during the schmaltzy number, “Thump, Thump,” her voice crumbles under the weight of its own emotion.īut the album is charged by a set of strong-willed tunes that soothe these shortcomings. On “Two Become One,” Jewel sounds apprehensive even as she commits to her faithful man with a series of sweet nothings. And at its heart, Perfectly Clear is truly ripe with maudlin romance.
The wide-open expanses presented by producer John Rich are a fitting stage for Jewel’s intricately-woven wordplay, but her gritty storytelling is seen only in flashes.Īs a whole, the album is a highly refined effort, and even the gooey love ballads are oddly lacking the passion that’s suggested beneath the surface. Perfectly Clear is a mishmash of traditional rhythms that’s easy on the ears, but it’s an erratic and, at times, bland demonstration of her talent. During her lengthy pop career, Jewel built up a reservoir of melodic tricks, but too few of them are on display. Though Jewel’s loyal sentiments towards country music have been admirable, they yield little creative inspiration on Perfectly Clear. Her shift felt natural, instinctive, organic. Jewel fled pop music for the confines of Music Row with nary a whisper from critics. An Alaskan-born woman of the wilderness, wedded to a rodeo cowboy, embraces her down-home roots and heads for Nashville to join the ranks of modern country singers.
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