This Way is Jewel's fifth full-length and the song-sequel to the 'spoken word' album Chasing Down The Dawn from 2000. The Canadian singer has a thing for language because her poetry collection A Night Without Armor was published earlier, which saw the light in 1999 and sold more than 800,000 times. The lyrics on This Way also receive the necessary attention, were it not for the fact that Jewel's
… greatest strength lies in her girlish, somewhat husky voice, which sounds beautifully fragile. With This Way, the singer consolidates her success, although the album is not an earth-shattering work of art. The twelve songs differ in tempo and subtlety. The songs are without exception on an American style, with recognizable rock influences with an occasional acoustic walk through them. Jewel fits well with today's traditional female American singer / songwriters, such as Melissa Etheridge, Heather Nova and Beth Orton. A great record, that closes with two beautifully executed live bonus tracks (Gray Matter and Sometimes It Be That Way). (BP)more
