Such a basic style is very refreshing after having to cope with one over-produced act after another being foisted on the radio-listening public. Along with this naked sound is a lady prepared to bare her soul to her listeners. "Putting all our soul into our work," Jewel explains, "makes it not only alive with passion and emotion, but also it exists as one of the truest and most honest expressions of self. Making life a beautiful art, the art then retaining life. I still believe Beauty is one of the most important and difficult things to create and express."
That too is refreshing. Combined with this contemplative attitude is a collection of wonderfully honest songs. While all of them are very good, some stand out even above the rest. "Foolish Games," "Near You Always" and "You Were Meant for Me" see Jewel singing about love and life and disappointment with such intense emotion that it almost sounds like she's going to break down and cry. On these three tracks her voice, already grabbing the listener's attention, rises to such great heights that it is impossible not to keep hitting repeat to hear it again and again.
These are three of the more catchy songs on Pieces of You. Despite its undoubted quality it is not the easiest album to listen to at first. It requires a lot of time before some of the songs hit you and you also really have to work hard while listening. This alone would put a lot of people off.
Added to this is the folk nature of Jewel's sound. There are no heavy guitars, the drumming is merely there to keep time and the production has been kept to a bare minimum. Some people love such minimisation, but it can also be very hard to come round to something that sounds so different. Pieces of You should really appeal to people who think less is more, but others will just find Jewel's threadbare sound and her
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