Album: This Way
Artist: Jewel
Year: 2001
1. Standing Still
2. Jesus Loves You
3. Everybody Needs Someone Sometime
4. Break Me
5. Do You Want to Play?
6. Till We Run Out of Road
7. Serve the Ego
8. This Way
9. Cleveland
10. I Won’t Walk Away
11. Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone
12. The New Wild West
I either dislike or am not impressed with every single on this album. I can’t even remember why I bought it. Did I like the harsh sounding Standing Still and the awkward singing in This Way when they first came out? Or did someone play me the good songs from the rest of the album? Either way, I’m glad I got it. This Way is a little more poppy than her first two albums, but nowhere near the trashy dance music she put out on 0304.
Jesus Loves You is a pretty strong critique of societal platitudes, and Cleveland might be her best love song. Do You Want to Play? is fun to listen to, if only so often. She also does a pretty good Janis Joplin imitation on Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone. My version of the album included some decent bonus tracks, but I didn’t include them above, mainly because they’re nothing to write home about.
Death By Troggles 
I’m going to have to give this album a second chance, as I only really know the singles. Standing Still is currently my favorite Jewel song. Also, I noticed that your review doesn’t include the bonus track “Sometimes It Be That Way”. If you haven’t heard that song, look it up, it’s my second favorite Jewel song.
My version of the album included some decent bonus tracks, but I didn’t include them above, mainly because they’re nothing to write home about.
I guess you write home about them!
Look at that carefully-posed photo…you can actually see her selling out.
Anyway, Jewel had kind of lost my interest by this point, as I was deep into stage acting and drinking (much, much worse than at any point you’ve known me) in 2001, but she certainly hadn’t fallen to where she’d land in a couple of years.
I don’t think I ever heard this album. I’ll Spotify it up and see if it moves me on this hot, lazy summer day off.