From: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org (jewel-digest) To: jewel-digest@smoe.org Subject: jewel-digest V12 #249 Reply-To: jewel@smoe.org Sender: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jewel-digest Thursday, January 31 2008 Volume 12 : Number 249 * If you ever wish to unsubscribe from this digest, send an email to * jewel-digest-request@smoe.org with ONLY the word * unsubscribe in the BODY of the email * . * For the latest news on what Jewel is up to, go to * the OFFICIAL Jewel web site at http://www.jeweljk.com * and click on "calendar" * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: jewel-digest V12 #___ gives fellow list readers * no clue as to what your message is about. Today's Subjects: ----------------- [EDA] Addendum ["Scott Evans" ] [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans [caseyjonescs@aol.com] Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans [Karen Boysen ] Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans ["E N" ] Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans ["Angie the Warrior Princess" Subject: [EDA] Addendum Oh wait, I just realized on her website, they call a song "Anybody But You (Cowboy Waltz)" ... I was referring to "Angel" ... Damn. I guess we'll see. - -- Scott Anthony Evans scott@scottanthony.org http://www.scottanthony.org ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:05:09 -0500 From: caseyjonescs@aol.com Subject: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans As I've said before, I think that she is only answering fan's questions now because she realizes her career is not 'in swing' anymore. She is pulling some effort to get out and contact the country music industry and has worn out the other possibilities of rock/folk/pop, worn them out. I personally think that she is doing this trying to get back into the same niche she was in, saying that she was 'always inspired' by country....I'm sorry, but I see this as sort of a last ditch effort to remain in music. She only cares about her fans now because she's tryingto sell her 'country' inspired album....did she care about us before? Did she answer fan letters before when she wasn't selling albums.....NO! I'm not bashing her, i"m really not, but the new Jewel could NEVER compare to the Jewel from Pieces of You or Spirit ear Jewel. She had her glory days, now it's time to retire and to relax in texas. I say this because I'm peronsally losing all interest in this whole 'country'bit, being someone who listens ot country and was brought up on country, I know that greats. I know the people who pioneered the country music industry and I don't think she is it. I think she needs to step back and ask herself 'What do my fans want to hear?' instead of 'what genre can I try next?'....it seems that she is not into this for her fans as much as she portrays herself to me. Has she forgotten about us EDA's? The people on the list that were here? She reminds me of Rod Stewart, a man who had his glory days back in the 1970s and tried to get into the 'Miami Vice' appeal of silk shirts and white suits inthe 1980s, and now is remaking all the old classics because he exhausted every idea he could.....and I do not want this to happen with her, I wish she'd listen to her fans. I think that the Jewel fanbase out there says 'Oh I can listen ot country', but the majority probably don't know REAL country msuic the way it was done and in classic form or contemporary. I jsut honestly see a big mistake with a country album. I may love it, I may hate it, I don't know....but does anyone else feel that she is selling out and trying to win over another group of people. Real country music takes some getting used to, trust me. I just hope it all works out for her well. The last time I spoke to Atz Kilcher, I aksed him if she was really going to put out a country album, and he said 'She's trying to lean into that direction'. Peronsally I feel taht she is burning out on music, because no album will compare to songs like 'Foolish Games' or 'You Were Meant For Me'. It would take a huge success to do that....if this is really what she wants, why didn't she do a country album before now, why now? Why not when she did 0304? Today actually marks my 'anniversary' of being here onthe list, one year I've been on the list and I confess I feel like this whole 'country' idea is not goin to work, I really do. For some reaosn the spark that happened when I first bought Pieces of You isn't there anymore. Maybe I need some motivation, because honestly this idea of 'always wanting to do a coutnry album' sounds very convenient that she 'could hav'e done it before, but was busy doing other albums like 'This Way' and '0304'....she ahd all the time inteh world, and I see this as a last ditch effort ot remain as an entity in the music business. Don't get me wrong, I love her music, i don't dislike her. But I dislike her lack of originality by 'now' springing a coutnry album on us, and peronslaly I don't see howy oucan go from 0304, a hardcore teenibopper album for little girls to something like Reba McIntyre or Gretchen Wilson....it can't happen....it just doens't fit, tehre's somehting here that obsturcts it fro me....to many moving parts, too many unknowns. I don't dislike Jewel, but I dislike the fact that she wants to 'bounce around' from genre to genre....Axl Rose never didthat....Johnny Cash never did that....Tupac Shakur never did that....George Jones enver did that. And the country music people (that means people in the southern/western United States) will agreee that country isn't something you can just 'waltz into' and fit in immediately. You have to EARn your way into the country music industry as it is one ofthe oldest music industries in the United States. To me, she is showinga real lack of passion for the music industry by bouncing around and doing this. You nkow it is bad when I walked into a music store and had to go to the 'Easy Listening' section for Pieces of You, the 'Pop' section for 0304, and the 'Rock' section for This Way....that actually happened to me....and it was a top brand store. I had to go to three different isles ot get her CD's when I wanted them....that shows a real lack of sorting for the store or a real lack of passion for one type of music for the artist. All I can say is that she loses fans by doingthis, and I'm about gone by now as it is. I see no point in wasting money on a CD when half ofhte music is goin to be songs i can get on here from fellow EDA's. Why would I waste that when I have 'Studies In Love #12', and several otehrs....I even ahve 'Stronger Woman'....I have the single! What is the point in buyingan album when you have half of it? I think this hsows a lack of work ehtic and a lack of motivation because she'll recycle a song from 0304, then put in some of her unreleased songs like 'Studies In Love #12' and throw in about three actual new songs she's written jsut for the album....this means HER, not her and someone lese, like Rob Thomas or John Rich bless his heart, he's a amrvelous guY!), but she's going to write three or foru acutal solo wirtten songs and put togehter some recordings of her older hits and pass that off as a 'new direction' or 'turn of the leaf' and become some country star??? I think not....personally I'm quite disappointed in her. ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:47:41 -0800 (PST) From: Karen Boysen Subject: Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans First, let me say I didn't make it all the way through your post Casey, because honestly my attention span isn't that long and it was kind of repeating itself after awhile. However, couple points I thought of while reading what I did. I think you're right in that her career isn't "in swing" anymore, but...I think she's fully aware of that. I do not however, think that her wanting to answer fans is some ploy to get us all back and relive days past. I think it probably just boils down to something as simple as, she has time to do things like that now. When her career was in full swing she didn't have time to answer fan questions, nor did she have a great medium to do it from, such as myspace and such now. I think she has always cared about her fans, but maybe not always to the same degree. She is human, so when she was at the top of her career it probably got fairly easy to forget people like us a little bit. It happens to them all. And, I think that time period was chronicled with the song Goodbye Alice in Wonderland. I have no idea what the entire country album will be like, and no I don't think it will compare to most of the hardcore, true country artists out there, but then...why should it? Why conform to the country formula if that's not what you want to do? I think Jewel has always been a little off the beating path as far as mainstream music goes. I don't think her trying different genres is her trying to find a way back into mainstream music and get hits. I think, she has many interests as far as music goes and wants to try them all. She isn't out with some alternative agenda. She has her own agenda and she seems to stick to it whether it's popular or makes lots of hits and money for her or not. She doesn't need to have big hits and huge selling albums, she has enough money and she's been there, done that. Now she's in a position in her life and career that she can do whatever she wants to musically and creatively. Those people you listed (Johnny Cash, George Jones, TuPac, etc...) all stuck to one genre, because that's what worked for them and they liked I imagine. Why do you have to limit yourself to one genre of music in order to be considered great? Jewel trying many genres doesn't diminish her talent or ability as far as I can tell. I also don't think that she is trying the country album now for any other reason than she has the freedom label wise to do so. I am guessing here but I imagine she couldn't do such an album when on the Atlantic Records label because they just would not allow it. She was under contract with them to do x amount of albums and probably do them within the genre they wanted. She couldn't just bounce all over and do whatever she wanted. Now that she broke away from them and has found a label that's willing to do the kind of albums she wants, she is free to do them. Again, I don't think there's an alternative agenda here. I think Jewel answering fan questions is her way of showing that despite everything that's happened over the years and wherever her career may go, whether we all support her or not, she still knows we are out here and like her music. We may not all like her most current stuff but there's something out there she has done that we like. It is her way of showing appreciation to those that have stuck with her through all the years. Oh, and as for buying an album that contains songs we've already heard...I think alot of us, myself included enjoy hearing new mixes of songs and especially those we like that were only on some iffy angelfood recordings. To hear those songs recorded in a studio or at least at a better quality than the audience recorded versions is fun. The album version may not end up being our favorite but we like to hear the new arrangements and spin on them anyway. Even if I had heard every song on the new album already, I'd still buy it just because I want to hear the versions on the album. I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed in Jewel Casey. I've been on this list since...June or July of 1997 (I think)...I'm going to stick around a bit longer and see how this all plays out and even if I dislike the new album (which I doubt I will) I'll still have a ton of other material from her I love. Karen ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:36:03 -0800 From: "E N" Subject: Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans I think that she is doing what she wants. I don't think that fans are her priority and maybe at one point they were (Spirit era? or at least what she thought the industry wanted), but she's realized that she is in better health mentally and physically when she does what she wants. I don't think she's directly "talking" to fans because she's trying to convince fans to "stay." I am not an OG EDA, but I've been here since 99 and I'm willing to see what Jewel comes up with for years to come. I think it's always hard to like new music from artists when it's different from what made you fall in love with the music in the first place. But I was a very different person during Pieces of You and Jewel was too I imagine. It's been more than 10 years! Perhaps Jewel has been influenced by Steve Poltz' blogging ;) Jewel has always not been very tech savvy so maybe she's learning about how cool blogging is and is FINALLY getting at that comfortable balance when dealing with fans. And she has always said how great she thinks her fans are in interviews. *caseyjones*, you weren't around when Jewel would send random updates directly to the EDA list ... you should check them out in the archives. They were kind of nice :) Best way to wade through the archives is probably to use google to search. And yes, whenever Scott posts those old versions or when I listen to my old angelfood (which ... umm, have sadly begun to decay and die), I remember why I liked Jewel in the first place ... and I think somewhere deep inside it's still there :) - -elizabeth On Jan 30, 2008 6:05 AM, wrote: > As I've said before, I think that she is only answering fan's questions > now because she realizes her career is not 'in swing' anymore. She is > pulling some effort to get out and contact the country music industry > and has worn out the other possibilities of rock/folk/pop, worn them > out. I personally think that she is doing this trying to get back into > the same niche she was in, saying that she was 'always inspired' by > country....I'm sorry, but I see this as sort of a last ditch effort to > remain in music. She only cares about her fans now because she's > tryingto sell her 'country' inspired album....did she care about us > before? Did she answer fan letters before when she wasn't selling > albums.....NO! > ' etc. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 07:51:29 +1100 From: "Angie the Warrior Princess" Subject: Re: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans ... I always thought Jewel had spiritual ears... - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 1:05 AM Subject: [EDA] Re: Jewel answers her fans ... I'm not bashing her, i"m really not, but the new Jewel could NEVER compare to the Jewel from Pieces of You or Spirit ear Jewel. She had her glory days, now it's time to retire and to relax in texas. I say this because I'm peronsally losing all interest in this whole 'country'bit, being someone who listens ot country and was brought up on country, I know that greats. I know the people who pioneered the country music industry and I don't think she is it. ------------------------------ End of jewel-digest V12 #249 ****************************