Who would have guessed a girl from a small town in Homer, Alaska, would make an impact on so many different forms of music? Jewel Kilcher started out by playing in small clubs around the country and living in a van to get people to hear her music. The music she brought to the people back then was mostly folk but Jewel expanded her horizons by exploring pop, country, and soft rock to name a few.
Fast forward from the mid 1990s and now has just become a mother for the first time, Jewell is looking to open up a new chapter of her life. She decided to release a greatest hits collection. The collection on Rhino Records encompasses her entire career with a new recording “Two Hearts Breaking.” Jewel shows that a she hasn’t lost anything in a small absence she took to start a family by recording a track that sounds poppy, but yet still has the elements of a typical Jewel song. Those elements would consist of catchy poetry along with that sultry and powerful voice.
There are also two remakes of her biggest hits “You Were Meant for Me” with Pistol Annies and “Foolish Games” featuring Kelly Clarkson. They are both different versions and breathe new life into the classics. Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley comprise Pistol Annies and they add vocals to mostly the choruses. Kelly Clarkson jumps in brings out the best in Jewel’s range.
What may be lost in this is what a great poet and what a diverse voice she has. If you don’t believe my observation of her voice, listen to her take of the Judy Garland classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She has displayed both of these traits for a long time and it’s been a long time coming for Jewel to release this type of package. For her fans, it was well worth the wait!
