Jewel - 0304 CD Review

Guilty as charged. I saw the video for "Intuition" and watching Miss Kilcher make fun of MTV Total Request Live, Pink, Britney, and Missy Eliott made me run out and buy her new CD "0304." The club remixes of "Serve the Ego" and the rumored collaboration with Chicane had piqued me interest and had me wondering, is Jewel becoming the next pop-dance diva?

Teaming with producers Lester Mendez (Shakira, Enrique Iglesias) and Rick Nowels (Madonna, Amber), Jewel has glossed up her serious prose and added a bit of fun to make it pop. Did you ever think that she would sing "Yes U Can" about getting the party started?

Jewel effortly embraces several aspects of pop gracefully genre hopping between retro-Jewel ("2 Find U" and "2 Become 1") and new found explorations of her inner Alanis ("Haunted"), the middle-eastern rhythms of "Intuition," and rap attempts on "U & Me" = Love."

Though the album is bookended with more serious songs, "Stand" which is reminiscent of Suzanne Vega's observational "Tom's Diner" and the folky patriotic protest song "America" both of which harken back to the serious singer/songwriter vein of her past albums, the album is balanced by dance pop that you would expect to hear on a Britney album.

How else would you explain using a 2 or U in nearly every song title? "Fragile Heart" even showcases the same breathy, over-affected vocals that are used to enhance those who are less vocally gifted.

While her long term fans may think Jewel has inhaled a bit too much stardust in to her lungs, I would say with the pop thing she is "doin' fine".