SD Union Trib: For Jewel it's once more with 'Spirit'

By George Varga
POP MUSIC CRITIC 

November 15, 1998 

Jewel cried the first and only time she listened to her 1995 debut album,
"Pieces of You," but it wasn't with joy. 

"I hated it, and I've never listened to it since," said the golden-voiced
San Diego singer-songwriter, who was just 19 when she recorded the album
in 1994.

"I cried because I didn't like my singing, especially on 'You Were Meant
for Me.' I didn't play guitar well, and there are a lot of words missing
because I forgot to sing them, or because I improvised and made up a new
chord. So it was strange to think, 'The world will hear this and maybe
they'll take it seriously.' It's actually frustrating to be represented by
what I wrote as a teen-ager." 

Whatever flaws Jewel detects, whether real or imagined, she has since
learned to hold her career-making album in higher regard for one simple
reason. 

"I'm proud of it," she said, "because it's honest." 

That honesty and emotional directness also provides the foundation for her
ambitious second album, "Spirit," due in stores Tuesday.

Jewel's record company, Atlantic, is hopeful that the 14-song album will
prove as popular as "Pieces of You," which has sold 8-1/2 million copies
in the United States and an additional 1-1/2 million in the rest of the
world. Along with Alanis Morissette's new "Supposed Former Infatuation
Junkie," "Spirit" is the year's most anticipated sophomore album. 

A mature work that exudes a quiet confidence, "Spirit's" emotional impact
can be credited to Jewel's increasingly strong songwriting skills, her
luminous vocals, and -- perhaps most pivotally -- to the fact that she had
four years to prepare her follow-up to "Pieces of You." 

"I think a real luxury I have is that I didn't do a second record the year
after the first," she said, speaking from a recent European promotional
tour stop in Hamburg, Germany. 

"I did record an album (since-shelved) two years ago, in Woodstock (N.Y.),
and I would have been uncomfortable if that had been my second album. My
voice has changed, and so has my music. I didn't know who I was then, and
I was worried if I'd be liked. As 'Pieces of You' began to do well, I got
more and more comfortable with me and my writing, to the point where it
wasn't scary.  You learn to mercifully follow your gut. 

"My first album felt like student art to me. It was a sketch, a pencil
drawing. A producer could've turned it into something slick and
great-sounding, but that wasn't my goal. 

"I wanted people to see who I was at 18 and 19, and then see my authentic
growth and where I am at 24. I've grown up and matured, musically and
emotionally, and I think it shows. But by no means is this album as good
as what I'll do in a few years." 

'Tis the season

As recently as May, Jewel planned to make "Spirit" a "sort of Christmas
album"  featuring "all original songs, kind of inspirational." 

The Christmas concept didn't pan out, but "Spirit" is inspirational
nonetheless. It explores such themes as the joys and challenges of
everyday life, the transcendent power of love and the quest for meaning in
an increasingly complex and troubled world. 

"It just took on a life of its own," Jewel said of the album. "It has a
very specific theme that ended up not being about Christmas, but about
what ways can we overcome what limits us -- limits me -- as humans. 

"My first album had songs about other people that I sang in the
first-person. This album is very personal; it's about myself. I decided on
a theme, a way I wanted people to feel when they were done listening, and
I picked songs cohesive to that theme. That was very useful, because it
was very focused and limited my options." 

"Spirit" also boasts a first-rate cast of backing musicians that includes
Sting drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, acoustic guitarist Jude Cole and
Madonna/Eagles percussionist Luis Conte. 

It was produced by Patrick Leonard, best known for his work with Madonna. 
But in place of the dance-pop sheen he is known for, Leonard provides
"Spirit"  with an understated, exceedingly tasteful sound. 

"I met with many producers, and there wasn't one I felt wouldn't put their
ego into my music and put their signature on me," Jewel said. "And they
talked so much about having a hit that you could tell they were worried
about it and it was a formula. And what I do is very natural, so I wanted
someone who had a natural instinctual sense for music. 

"Patrick has that, and can bring that out of an artist and not impose on
them. He also has a grace and elegance that makes the music sound pretty
good. He's not overly concerned with getting a 'hip' sound, which is
important because that quickly sounds dated. 

"I also had an immediate liking for him. And he was at a place in his life
where he needed my music and its theme, spirituality, which a lot of
people are uncomfortable with." 

Jewel's lyrics on "Spirit" can be overly earnest at times. But her
sincerity is as unmistakable as the soaring, deeply expressive vocals that
are her trademark. The album's title is a reflection of her belief in a
common force that unites people, a universal spirituality that transcends
languages, borders and religions. 

"It is a theme of spirit," she said. "But spirituality, to me, is about
finding balance in the world. Every time you say, 'Why aren't I happy?' or
'How can I be happy?,' you're investing in your spiritualism. The album
asks: 'How do I have more faith? How can I be more useful? What is
despair?'

"If you really want to feel better, you can't worry or despair, because
that goes directly against positive change. So I've learned from a lot of
leaders I respect, like Martin Luther King, who knew the difference
between informed optimism, which is focused, and blind optimism, which is
despair." 

A pragmatist as well as an idealist, Jewel realizes some people will roll
their eyes at such statements, especially coming from a wealthy, young pop
star. 

But, to paraphrase a well-known Tom Petty song, she won't back down. And
she is adamant that living a privileged life now doesn't mean she can't
feel deeply for the poor and underprivileged, especially since she was one
of them just a few years ago. 

"I don't have to go back to the time I felt despair," she said, before
quipping:  "You can only write (songs) if you suffer. 

"A person's demons haunt them at any time, and fame only makes you focus
more on your demons, to overcome them or let them overwhelm you. So to me,
'Spirit' is a journey of my last four years, as well as my whole life." 

Rags to riches

The phenomenal success of "Pieces of You" transformed Jewel from a local
favorite at San Diego County coffeehouses and folk clubs into one of the
biggest-selling female pop stars of the 1990s. 

It also transformed her lifestyle, taking the native Alaskan from the
Volkswagen van she once lived in locally to the secluded, $1 million North
County home she now owns and lives in with her mother and manager, Nedra
Carroll. 

"The people in San Diego were always so supportive of me when I was living
in my car and singing in coffee shops," Jewel said. "People would bring
food to me, and it was an incredible environment to come out of. People
always ask me if I'll move to L.A., and I say, 'Why on earth would I?' The
few days I'm home in San Diego feel like a vacation. I can't imagine
living anywhere else right now." 

Boosted by Jewel's relentless touring as an opening act for everyone from
goth-rocker Peter Murphy to Bob Dylan, "Pieces of You" ignited last year
after an unusually slow climb up the national album charts. 

The 10 million-selling album yielded three top-10 singles in this country: 
"Who Will Save Your Soul?"; "You Were Meant For Me"; and "Foolish Games,"
which was also featured in the soundtrack for the film "Batman & Robin."
(Jewel rerecorded the vocals for all three before they were released as
singles.) 

The videos for those songs made Jewel a staple on both MTV and VH1 (both
of which are now airing the video for her new single, "Hands," in heavy
rotation).  Thanks to "Pieces of You," Jewel earned three Grammy
nominations and an American Music Award last year as Favorite New Pop/Rock
Artist.

The album's success ranked Jewel second only to the Spice Girls as 1997's
top album-seller, according to the music trade magazine Billboard. And it
propelled her last year into a sold-out solo tour, a headlining slot on
the top-grossing Lilith Fair tour and a command performance at President
Clinton's inaugural ball in Washington. 

She was also featured on the covers of Time, Rolling Stone and other major
publications, and recently completed shooting her first starring role in
director Ang Lee's Civil War drama, "Absence of Fear." The film, which
co-stars Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich, is due out next spring.
Meanwhile, her first book of poetry, "A Night Without Armor," has been a
national best-seller since its publication in May. 

"She's handled fame really well," said fellow San Diego singer-songwriter
Steve Poltz, an early mentor who co-wrote "You Were Meant for Me" with
Jewel. 

"If you sell that many albums at such a young age, you'll change. But
she's changed for the better. And she's handled her success like a champ." 

Added Keith Anderson, Jewel's tour manager since mid-1995: "On a personal
level, I wouldn't say there's been any change in her. She's a consummate
professional. 

"And she has this incredible capacity -- whether playing in a 100-seat
venue in the fall of 1995 or in front of 20,000 at Lilith Fair, to perform
on the same level -- as far as making contact with the audience. There's
still that same intimacy, and that takes someone very special." 

The tidal wave of success brought on "Pieces of You" caught many by
surprise, including her record company. But no one was more stunned than
Jewel, who moved to San Diego six years ago to be with her mother. 

"My first album was my first time in a studio and my first time with a
band, and I was very uncomfortable," said Jewel (who does not use her last
name, Kilcher). 

"And after 'Who Will Save Your Soul?' became a hit, I felt really
uncomfortable.  Because I didn't mean to write a hit, and how could I do
it again? Once I realized I could write a (good) song, I felt more
comfortable, and have seen my ability grow to articulate my thoughts and
minimize my words. I never thought I'd be a folk artist, or a 'pop'
artist." 

In fact, Jewel earned money singing in jazz bars when she attended high
school on a partial scholarship at Interlochen, a Michigan music and arts
academy. A great admirer of Ella Fitzgerald, she hopes to eventually
record an album of jazz standards, such as Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot," a
frequent highlight of Jewel's concerts. 

"Jazz is one of my favorite things," she said. "And I'd love to write
musicals." 

Most of all, Jewel wants to endure as an artist and to make a difference
through her music and deeds. 

"I think I look to Bob Dylan and Neil Young, because they have sustained
their careers over a long period of time," she said. "And I've learned
from them that you have to be willing to take the risk of failing, because
eventually your vision will be realized. 

"When I opened for Neil at (New York's) Madison Square Garden, I was
really nervous, because it was just me and my guitar in this huge arena.
And he said to me: 'It's just another hash house on the road to success,
pay it no respect. You have to focus on what you do with your art.'

"So I feel like I did my job with 'Spirit.' A live show is limitless in
what you can express; a record is like picking out one outfit you'll wear
for a year.  So you have to be satisfied (knowing) it's a slightly limited
art form. I made an honest record, and all I can do from here is work
hard."