A new sound for an old gem

Jewel's new album, This Way, offers her fans a new sound. The sound is stronger and more vibrant than either of her two previous albums. Jewel adds a hint of country combined with some other flavors, making the album a joy to listen to.\nThe first single released, "Standing Still," is a smooth number where Jewel rocks throughout. The track starts out with Jewel's normally soft and subtle voice, but as it gradually approaches the chorus it becomes stronger, with a fuller sound. The chorus itself is catchy and the drums and bass really add emphasis to the piece. It's uphill from the chorus on.\nDon't let the title to "Jesus Loves You," scare you off; it really isn't a preachy song at all. The first verse starts off, "They say that Jesus loves you, what about me?" Throughout the song Jewel seems to be evaluating where she stands in life, just where exactly she fits in, in the scheme of things. The song has a sort of folksy feel to it making it genuine.\n"Everybody Needs Someone Sometime" is the first track off This Way with that splice of country twang. Jewel gets into full country mode with her normally soft voice gripping every dip and glide the song takes us into. "Break Me" is more traditional Jewel, relying on her fragile tonal quality to carry the song through. Jewel uses her lower range effectively in this piece, whipping up feelings of sadness, longing and hope in one lyrical phrase.\nThe best track of the album, "Serve the Ego," is the most unlike Jewel that I have heard her sing. She strays away from her typical material, rocking out for portions of the chorus and going for a somewhat middle-eastern harmony in other parts. Jewel uses her high and low ranges beautifully in this track and harmonizes exceptionally well with herself on background vocals. As an added bonus, listen for her two live recordings at the end.\nI really was pleasantly surprised by what Jewel had to offer on this disc. I still like her debut Pieces of You the best, but This Way is far superior in terms of sound, and maybe contains slightly less lyrical self-glorifying arrogance then did her sophomore album, Spirit.\nRating: 9