Jewel

Jewel (Kilcher) is an Alaskan singer songwriter who grew up in San Diego and debuted with the mostly acoustic Pieces Of You (Atlantic, 1995), a reflection of her years playing in small cafes. The album, that will eventually sell 11 million copies in five years, was really just a collection of her best material written over several years. While the album lacked focus and was recorded mostly live, Jewel, then barely 21-year old, manufactured a pseudo-hippie persona akin to 1960's icon Joni Mitchell and her proud soprano. Who Will Save Your Soul, You Were Meant For Me and Foolish Games were all huge hits.

Hands, Down So Long and Jupiter were the hits from Spirit (Atlantic, 1998), a more coherent but also darker album.

In 1998 Jewel also released her first book of poetry, which also became a best-seller (the first poetry book by a 23-year old to climb the best-seller lists). And in 1999 she debuted as a film actress. By that time, her second album had already sold six million copies.

A Night Without Armor (1998) and Chasing Down the Dawn (2000) are recordings of her poetry.

This Way (2001) was a lighter and more superficial album.

0304 (Atlantic, 2003) is trivial dance-pop that sounds like an insult to her intimate beginnings. Intuition, Leave the Lights On, and U Can Leave the Lights On sound like the average MTV teen idol. Inevitably, the music belongs more to the producer (Lester Mendez) than to the singer. Opener Stand works as a bridge with Jewel's former life.

Goodbye Alice In Wonderland (2006) suffered from Rob Cavallo's lush production.

Perfectly Clear (2008) is a country album.