Jewel Sings About Life and Love

So,
what do you guys feel like hearing tonight?”
That
was Jewel, two songs into her sold-out performance Saturday in the
Events Center of the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls NY,
making it clear that her performance would be much more of a folksy,
intimate, “VH1 Storytellers” type of gig than a ritzy run-through
of the hits in a casino ballroom. Which was interesting, because
Saturday’s show was a stop on the folk singer’s “Greatest Hits”
tour, which was meant to provide a career-overview for Jewel fans.
What those fans got, however, turned out to be much more.
Though
Jewel doesn’t sell as many records as she did during her ’90s
heyday, the Alaskan-born singer-songwriter still commands a large and
decidedly loyal fan base, made up of folks who enjoy her overtly
honest ruminations on life and love. She emerged from the wings as if
doing so was no big deal, grabbed one of several gorgeous Taylor
acoustic guitars awaiting her attention, and dove straight into “Near
You Always.” With her long hair tied back in a tight ponytail, and
dressed in a sun dress adorned with stars and impressive Lucchese
boots, Jewel appeared radiant, mellow and lovely. “Near You Always”
was a searing piece, based around an open tuning and a melody that
was infused with yearning – its circular pattern perfectly matched
to the poetic, romantic imagery of the lyric. Opening with this tune
was a brave move, because it is indeed one of Jewel’s most
sophisticated. Commanding a large crowd’s attention with nothing
but an acoustic guitar, a voice and some between-song banter is an
incredibly tough gig. Folk-based songs, particularly when they rely
on pop-based tropes, as Jewel’s songs do, are often better suited
to a coffeehouse or church basement than to a large concert space.
Pop requires at least some rhythm, and rhythm is best provided by
bass and drums. But for the most part, Jewel kept things moving at an
exciting pace, making sure to avoid placing tunes in similar keys and
tempos next to each other.
Jewel
does indeed come from the folk tradition. As was revealed during her
between-song chats, she first started playing gigs as an 8-year-old,
in a duo with her songwriting father. She left home at 15, eventually
becoming a homeless songwriter attempting to scrape by on money
earned from busking. She told one story of attempting to hop trains
when she couldn’t afford legitimate transportation, an image which
– perhaps self-consciously – ties her to the folk troubadour
tradition established by the itinerant Woody Guthrie. Jewel is no
Guthrie, nor is she a Bob Dylan, but she does know her way around a
topical folk tune. “New Wild West” was one of these, a modal romp
with many verses in the model of early Stones, with lyrics that
adopt a reporter’s eye on society and culture. This tune worked,
its image-heavy observations cutting deep.
Some
of the love songs – encore “You Were Meant For Me” offering a
prime example – were a bit on the twee, melodramatic side. ) But in
fairness, this was the first song Jewel ever wrote, and the fact that
it became her first hit in the midst of the male-dominated grunge era
suggests that she was tapping into something significant.
Pacing
in one-woman shows is everything, and happily, Jewel had it down. She
grabbed an electric guitar for a torrid take on “Haunted,” which
she described as “a song about a break-up” that boasted a
narrator whose behavior “would probably be considered stalking in
several states.” “Perfectly Clear” offered up her forays into
country music in a succinct manner, and it was prefaced with some of
the evening’s most poetic imagery. The singer told a story about
observing patrons at a bar where she performed with her father as a
young girl, noting “the great lengths women will go to get a
compliment (and) what men will do to outrun their sorrow.” This set
the song up wonderfully, and its chilling harmony and virtuosic
singing were deeply affecting.
Throughout
the evening, Jewel sang beautifully, easing from her comfort zone
into a lilting falsetto, a near-yodel or a full-voiced top-of-range
peak with seeming effortlessness. She is indeed a class act, and this
show offered her fans an intimate glimpse into her songwriter’s
psyche.
(c)  By Chuck Schultz for Country Music News International

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