Jewel's Sweet and Wild: Tons of Sweet, Skimpy on the Wild

For some reason, country music seems to be the oasis in a desert of mediocre album sales and promotion for some artists. I don't know if it's the seemingly stable record sales or perceived friendly audiences, but country music has become a home for wayward singer-songwriters. In the last several years, there have been several "defectors" from pop music, though not all had the type of response they were looking for. Country music audiences may be a lot of things, but they can spot a "pretender" a mile away. While there may be a fair amount of crossover attempts, just like any other genre, only the strongest survive.

Her career may not be what it once was, but Jewel Kilcher has been one of those strong singer/songwriters who have passed through Nashville's golden gates and gained respect for her authenticity. Granted, her music was pretty darn close to country before she made the official leap in 2008, but she's still garnered the type of admiration that some can only dream of. Ten is all about thinking things through before making a decision and considering the consequences of your actions, a good natured midtempo about never truly being able to leave the one you love after a fight. It wouldn't sound out of place on her last album, a song that straddles the line between country and pop quite well. The production could have been scaled back here, as it would have made more of an impact to hear the steel guitar and fiddle on a song that needs as much emotional connection as possible. Fading immediately reminded me of Michelle Branch's Breathe during its intro, though this song doesn't have the urgency of Branch's rom-com trailer signature. It morphs from potentially huge pop uptempo to nondescript midtempo that sounds ripped straight from the mid 1990s. It's a song of trying to regain yourself, a song whose tempo masks its insecurity. As Bad As It Gets feels like a joining of Jewel's two personalities; you get a snapshot of pre-country Jewel on the acoustic intro, followed by current Jewel, a Jewel that relies more on pop sensibilities and a knowledge on what radio plays (granted, Bad is probably the most "country" track on the record with its downbeat lyricism and tormented climax). As much as I enjoy her music, I would love for her to go back to where she was at the beginning of her career, just a girl with her guitar and something to say. Too often artists get caught up in trying to please everybody and get away from why people like them in the first place.

Summer Home in Your Arms is such a comfortable, easy listen that its somewhat schmaltzy lyricism is forgivable. Though Jewel's music has gotten more produced as her career has went on, this dials it down a bit, her flirty guitar and whispery vocals able to have the proper breathing room needed in order to charm. If it had been written just a bit better (I shudder at some of these), it would have been a much stronger track. To be honest, as soon as I saw the title I Love You Forever, I cringed. It sounds like it'll be the most cliché, obvious listen in the history of time and honestly, it's not half bad. With some fiddle thrown in and a decidedly road song vibe, it's one of the more country songs on the record, an admittedly adorable first person storytelling song about distance and its impact on a relationship. One True Thing feels like a Colbie Caillat track; it's that type of head bobbing, sunny guitar pop that's meant for singing along to with the top down during the summer. Simply written with Jewel's trademark sweetness (all she's looking for is love, you guys! C'mon!), it's got such honesty to it, yet said honesty doesn't impact how addicting of a listen it is.

What can be said about Sweet and Wild can be said about pretty much every Jewel album. It may be slightly overproduced and contain a clunky lyric or two (the Alaskan loves her a good cliché), but it is utterly charming through its eccentricities (you know a Jewel song when you hear it), vulnerabilities, and intelligence. Vocally, she's in as good a place as ever (Exhibit A: As Bad As It Gets), helping to make this a bit more engaging than her pleasant-but-forgettable country debut. As much as I would like her to make a Miranda Lambert-ish album (way more authentically country), I'm perfectly satisfied with another collection of feathery ballads and passionate uptempos delivered by the girl who lived in a van down by the river.