Product Description

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 storyto tell, Jewel is a keen observer of human behavior. But itis 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 colour and texture. She sings "I'm Sensitive" with coy innocence, and givesthe 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.

Track Listing

1. Who Will Save Your Soul
2. Morning Song
3. Painters
4. Amen
5. Angel Standing By
6. Daddy
7. Don't
8. You Were Meant For Me
9. I'm Sensitive
10. Adrian
11. Pieces Of You
12. Little Sister
13. Foolish Games
14. Near You Always
15. Foolish Games (2)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12016 in Music
• Released on: 1997-10-08
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Jewel's debut album, Pieces of You, reveals a special voice--strong and focused on both the whispery verses and the hooky choruses. The recording also exposes an unfortunate tendency to present trite, hackneyed sentiments as if they were oracular visions from a young prophet to a jaded world. For the most part, Jewel sings to her own acoustic guitar accompaniment, but she has a lot more in common with, say, the Indigo Girls or Lisa Loeb than with Judy Collins or Nanci Griffith. Despite her soft soprano and pretty melodies, her songs have an iconoclastic edge which make her more of an unplugged alternative rocker than a folkie. Her songs too often betray their origins as written verse in their hard-to-sing meters, unmusical phrasing, and diary-like pronouncements. Nonetheless, a few numbers, such as "Morning Song" and "You Were Meant for Me", show a spark of humor about romance, and hint that Jewel may yet write songs worthy of her remarkable voice. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Spellbinding
The first time I heard Jewel was on daytime TV in the 90s. I took the day off work as I wasn't feeling very well. She sang You Were Meant For Me, and I was absolutely captivated, enthralled, for the few minutes she had the screen she had me transfixed, and by the end of the song I was in tears. After that I immediately ordered a copy of this album, and was elated to discover that every song on Pieces Of You was as magical.

Here was an Alaskan girl whose folk songs could hush the world. Her songs are personal and poetic, you feel privileged that she is allowing you into her world; a place of beauty, calm, warmth, and replete with teenage perspectives that are innocent and uplifting.

More than anything it is her angelic yet vulnerable voice and her poignant lyrics that make this album the huge success it was, and just as memorable and playable today. It is a brave producer that strips a record bare in this manner, but it was the right decision to let Jewel do what she does best without the distraction of the over-production that she would later fall foul of. And with 12 million sales of this album in the U.S. alone, there is no arguing that this raw acoustic formula sells records in vast numbers.

Once you have entered Jewel's world, you never want to leave... your own reality will feel humdrum in comparison.

Just magical
The whole CD is beautiful but "Foolish Games" is just a master piece!One of the best musics ever made!

Pieces of Us
I've had this cd and Spirit for a good few years now but have never really known how to describe or quantify it for review purposes. I wanted to say something about it however, so I'll say that it's something you can listen to easily, being of a serene, folky style but you can also ponder about as well. There's quite a few good songs on here and she's a very talented song writer as well as musician and performer. I'd say if you like female vocalists perhaps along the lines of Tori, Kate or Amy with songs about relatable experiences and feelings then this might be for you. She really has her own stamp though and gives a lot of feeling into seemingly simple ideas making it more intimate and less commercial/radio style produce - a reason she's probably not as well known infact, but you can have decent music without being a stadium filler - heartfelt, low key, original & sensitive are preferable in my opinion. Notables are Foolish Games, Save your Soul & I'm Sensitive.