This Way

(Atlantic)

Jewel put out another CD, and most of us are thinking, "Oh no, it's more of her singing and whining about how pathetic love is or something about living in her van." Surprisingly enough, This Way seems to be a new way Jewel has decided to write and perform her songs.

The album is comprised of 12 tracks, plus two bonus tracks of live recordings. The variety of her selections is entertaining and very enjoyable. She has the tender love ballads such as "This Way" and the standard rock/pop songs such as "Standing Still" and "Do You Want to Play?" Some songs, like "Cleveland," could easily pass for country.

In some instances, the vocals don't even sound like Jewel's distinct crooning - her voice is now more akin to that of Sheryl Crow or Dido. One song, "Serve the Ego," has a foreign, Eastern sound to it with its use of drums and finger chimes. The music is smoky and exotic and is completely different from anything else on the album.

Jewel even includes a small spiel, appropriately dubbed "About the Songs," in which she (duh) talks about the inspiration and/or her feelings about each song, for most of which she has written both the music and lyrics. Comments range from, "I wrote this in a hotel in Bakersfield when I was 21" to "this was the hardest song to record. I hated doing it. But then again, I felt the same way when I recorded 'You Were Meant for Me,' so I'm not always the best judge."

Regardless of whether she thinks she's a good song judge or not, this judge says Jewel's This Way is definitely worth checking out.