“Jewel has been a pop chart fixture since 1995, but ever organically rooted to make her move to country a convincing transition, and the format has already embraced top 15 single “Stronger Woman.” Her seventh album and first full-length country project, “Perfectly Clear,” is not only persuasive, but down-home, old-school country. It’s not just the addition of steel guitar that sells Jewel’s passage, but the whole of her delivery and lyrical themes. Potential hits abound: Best are the searching, chug-along “I Do”; remorseful ballad “Everything Reminds Me of You”; the uptempo, playful “Rosey and Mick,” about a long-term imperfect relationship; and the mannered “Anyone but You,” which sounds like a Tammy Wynette classic. Jewel continues to surprise and inspire, and “Clear” is an ideal transition for the 34-year-old Texas dweller. —Chuck Taylor”
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