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Success doesn't require a gaudy debut. Jewel's debut sold 1,000 copies its first week; it went on to sell 6.2 million. Ruffhouse Records' head, Chris Schwartz, says CDs that survive this fall will need "something special." Here's what they're offering...
...JEWEL SPIRIT [rating: 3 1/2 musical notes] PREVIOUS ALBUM Pieces of You, 1995 COPIES SOLD 6.2 million...
...Jewel's debut album was, truth be told, a little wan, a little precious, a little slight. It was enjoyable in large part because it came to you palms open, wide-eyed, innocent. Jewel's energy, her fire, her true worth came out during her live shows. Her performances on the traveling Lilith Fair showcased her talents and established her as a genuine phenomenon...
After the success of her first album, after Lilith, after her book of poetry became a best seller, Jewel's new release had a lot to live up to. She went through two producers, scrapped an album that was 70% done and started fresh...
...looks as if she knew what she was doing. On Spirit, Jewel is once again firmly rooted in pop-folk, but her vocals are richer, and her songwriting is sharper. "I wasn't trying to be contrary or go against type," says Jewel. "I just wanted to be emotionally evocative." On Deep Water she sings with new authority; on Enter from the East she is tender but never weak. There's only one bad song on this CD: Fat Boy, a song about, you guessed it, a fat boy. "Oh fragile flame," Jewel sings, "when no one feels the same...