Sweet and Wild

Jewel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: VALORY
• ASIN: B003GH6M1K
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Chuck Dauphin, June 29, 2010

It's been a couple of years since Jewel made her leap to country music (or did country leap over to her?) with the excellent "Stronger Woman," and she returns with her second album for Valory Music. To my ears, I think she has gotten even better on this disc. Her vocals may very well might be even more expressive than before and, considering her body of work, that's a huge statement.

The set starts off with the fun sounding "No Good in Goodbye," and segues into some really inviting sounds throughout. "I Love You Forever" is one such cut that just sounds great, and it is the perfect blend of country and pop.

She's put together quite an amazing package--one that mixes breezy fun with some very meaningful ballads. "What You Are" is one of these, and her current single "Satisfied," is another. The latter might very well be her defining moment vocal performance. It is nothing short of passion and power at its' finest. With the right breaks, I think that the song could firmly establish her as a country superstar. Some stars have made the jump to country, and you have to wonder about their sincerity concerning the new format. After listening to her first two albums for Scott Borchetta and Valory, I am convinced that Jewel is not one of those!

∗ ∗ ∗ ½

Working with top-shelf songwriters such as Nashville's Brett James and frequent Taylor Swift collaborator Liz Rose, Jewel returns with a batch of introspective, acoustic-driven songs that are at once languid and free-spirited, with fiercely focused themes. Two Jewel/Dave Berg collaborations are must-listens: "Ten" finds her thinking twice (or 10 times) before leaving after a nasty falling-out with a significant other, while the wistful, poetic "What You Are" looks frankly at self-esteem issues in lines such as I give love to others / But I give myself hell. The softly romantic "Summer Home in Your Arms" recalls her hit "You Were Meant for Me" with its acoustic guitar backing and poetic lyrics. "Stay Here Forever" (from the movie Valentine's Day) is a sweet, jingly tune, while the ballad "Satisfied" imparts wisdom with heartfelt emotion. Though her classy, docile voice may be overshadowed by more theatrical singers in country music, Jewel's gems neatly toe the line between art and commerce.

Product Description

Jewel is maintaining her country roots as she returns to the format with her sophomore follow-up album, Sweet and Wild. The album, written and produced by Jewel, will be released on June 11th. The first single, "Stay Here Forever," has been embraced by critics and the video is a success on CMT and GAC.

"The theme of this album is finding what's true about you and your life, and defending it and valuing it above all else," said Jewel. "My newest country album will share so many of my personal feelings of love and happiness that I have written into the songs," said Jewel, who married her longtime boyfriend Ty Murray in the summer of 2008. Jewel will also embark on a tour sponsored by Country Financial to support Sweet and Wild.

Also near and dear to Jewel's heart is her charitable initiative, Project Cleanwater, which she continues to support, unwaveringly. Jewel founded Project Clean Water in 1997. Having experienced homelessness as a teenager, Jewel became ill and couldn't afford to buy the bottled water she needed for her sick kidneys. She then realized it was difficult to obtain clean water in the United States, and discovered it was a huge problem globally. She has been relentless in her efforts to bring safe water to those in need and create awareness of clean water shortages around the world.

Project Clean Water has recently partnered with Virgin Unite and the Voss Foundation to create the "Give A Drop" campaign. Donations of $5.00 can be made by texting the message "DROP" to phone number 85944. Money raised through text donations will benefit the partnership, which is currently working in Pel in the Dogon region of Mali, where 40 water retention structures were recently completed. This spring, work will also begin to help rural villages in southeast Ethiopia expand their access to clean water.

Jewel currently lives on a working ranch in Stephenville, Texas with her husband, World Champion bull-riding superstar, Ty Murray.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jewel Sweet and Wild is another beautiful album from a beautiful voice named Jewel, June 8, 2010

By 

Porfie Medina "Porfie Jr. Medina" (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet and Wild (Audio CD)

Jewels new album Sweet and Wild is another beautiful album from this one of a kind voice. I have been listening to Jewels music since 1995 when her first album Pieces of You was released. I have followed her on this amazing journey as I watch and listen to her grow as a artist. Now days Jewel is known as a country artist, but to me and many others (who followed her from the start) she is still Jewel with no labels like coutry, folk, or pop associated with her. Her music has always been more than just those labels. Her music crosses so many different styles its not fair to label her music. Sweet and Wild is a more personal album and is about love and happiness as Jewel herself says. The whole album is great, but the stand out tracks are Fading, What You Are, Satisfied, No More Heartaches, Bad As It Gets, and Stay Here Forever.

I highly recommend getting the deluxe edition Sweet and Wild [Deluxe Edition] [2 CD] of this album. It will please those early Jewel fans because it has a second CD (titled Sweet and Mild) which has the entire album in Acoustic just like old school Pieces of You Jewel. Both versions are beautiful, but the acoustic version gives a whole new life to the music. I highly suggest getting this amazing and beautiful album from this amazing artist known as Jewel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bland country music, September 3, 2010

By 

Lilja (Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet and Wild (Audio CD)

I liked Jewel's previous country effort, Perfectly Clear, as a whole - I'm disappointed with Sweet and Wild, which is definitely more pop than country and very bland, musically and (unfortunately) lyrically. Pandering to teen audiences who like Taylor Swift and aiming at commerciable singles at any cost doesn't work for Jewel. Too bad, I had a lot of faith in her country turn.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jewel has done better., August 13, 2010

By 

Keith E. Asbury - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sweet and Wild (Audio CD)

Great sound for Jewel, "Gone Country", but there are a couple of songs that are just downright depressing. This would be OK, if it were the "sweet" sadness kind of depressing, but the lyrics are just downright annoying on "Fading" and there are a couple other songs that leave you wishing they weren't there. Overall, short of memorable.