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Jewel
Spirit
By Rob Selina
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There is something magical about Jewel strumming her guitar. A drummer and bass guitarist, not to mention a piano and some synthetic effects also join the mix on certain tracks, but it’s Jewel who’s the focus. There ss something very natural about the way she sings that intrigues me. She sounds down to earth, like the girl next door, very personal. When I listen to her in the dark, I get the impression that I’m the only one in the audience, as if she were directing her songs to me personally. I hate to play psychologist when it comes to what a musician is trying to say in a song, so I’m not going to do that. The perspective I take on a set of lyrics could be different to yours, and probably would be different to what the writer was trying to communicate, so I will do my best not to add to misinformation. All I will say is that all of the songs on Spirit have a quality that you usually find in a closet poet’s writing. It does not sound like she intended to write it for her fans or anyone else. Most of them seem very much for her, with no intention of showing them to anyone except maybe a close friend or lover. Her words sound genuine, from the heart. Departing from the lyrics, I enjoy the simplicity of the songs. Acoustic guitar has a very sweet sound to me, and she did an excellent job of building a drum and bass beat around her rhythm. This is where I find the construction interesting. Normally, the drummer or bass guitarist sets the pace of the song, however, here I feel like she’s doing it. As far as the synthetic effects go, don not worry, they were inserted in a very unobtrusive manner than doesn’t detract from the mostly acoustic recording. The sound quality is excellent on most of the tracks, however a couple seem to have been recorded on a different occasion, and the sound quality is a little rough. Despite a couple of bad recordings, the disc is very solid musically. There are a couple of songs that I have not learned to appreciate, however most of them are very enjoyable and involving. Recommended.
Enjoyment: 75
Sound Quality: 65
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