Jewel Pieces Of You CD

Personnel: Jewel Kilcher (guitar, vocals); Kris Wilkinson (strings); Robbie Buchanan, Charlotte Caffey (piano); Spooner Oldham (keyboards); Tim Drummond, Mark Howard (bass); Oscar Butterworth (drums).
Recorded at the Broken Arrow Ranch, Woodside, California and live at Innerchange Coffeehouse, San Diego, California.
All songs written or co-written by Jewel Kilcher.
Jewel was nominated for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. "Who Will Save Your Soul" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Personnel: Jewel (vocals, guitar); Kristin Wilkinson (strings); Robbie Buchanan, Charlotte Caffey (piano); Spooner Oldham (keyboards); Oscar Butterworth (drums).
Audio Mixers: Gene Eichelberger; John Nowland; Tim Mulligan.
Recording information: Broken Arrow Ranch, Woodside, CA; Innerchange Coffeehouse, San Diego, CA.
Photographer: Hugh Hales-Tooke.
Arrangers: Jewel; Charlotte Caffey.
Pieces of You is a charming debut that is somewhat undone by its own naïveté. Jewel has a rich voice and an innocent, beguiling charm that makes "Who Will Save Your Soul," "I'm Sensitive," and "You Were Meant for Me" -- songs with slight, simple lyrics and catchy, sweet melodies -- quite endearing; they sound like a high-school diary brought to life. Songs this simple and sweet need clean, direct arrangements, but Pieces of You was largely recorded live, which means it often sounds ragged and rough. "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant for Me," and "Foolish Games" were all re-recorded before they became hit singles, and all three are superior in their single versions, since these live album cuts sound hurried. It's an unfortunate situation, since the slapdash production emphasizes the awkwardness of the lesser songs. Still, Pieces of You has enough charm to make it an ingratiating debut, even if the album doesn't quite fulfill Jewel's potential. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Jewel's debut album is a charming collection of light alternative folk-rock from the teenage singer/songwriter. Her songs are occasionally naive, but her melodies can usually save her lyrics. ~ Sara Sytsma
When this Alaskan decided to give up her day job and move into her Volkswagen van in 1993, she began an almost storybook ascendance to the upper echelon of singer-songwriters. Like so many other aspiring musicians with a guitar and a story to tell, Jewel is a keen observer of human behavior. But it is her voice, a classically-trained instrument that has developed far beyond Jewel's 22 years, that makes her debut album--much of which was recorded at Neil Young's Broken Arrow Ranch with pieces of his HARVEST MOON band--such a joy.
Jewel's is a special voice, one that can portray enormous emotional range with only slight alterations in color and texture. She sings "I'm Sensitive" with coy innocence, and gives the title track a biting, scolding quality. "Amen," the album's finale, is perhaps Jewel's most stunning vocal display, with her gorgeous, ethereal falsetto lifting us into a world where beautiful voices can speak volumes.Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.63) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."