Jewel

Jewel Kilcher's mid-career embrace of country music seems less desperate and cynical than it did half a decade ago. Recovering at the time from her much-ridiculed dance-pop album, 0304, Jewel seemed a falling star looking for a soft place to land. Now, for better or worse, the wife of rodeo champ Ty Murray and one-time host of Nashville Star has committed to her niche. And since the lyrical conventions of contemporary country guide her away from confessional folk clichés toward sentimental pop clichés, her music has shed a layer or two of ickiness. Still, how much you're anticipating her upcoming Sweet And Wild may depend on how profound you find advice such as, "If you love somebody / You better let it out." 

Updated 05/19/2010