Jewel, the renowned songstress of the late 1990s, takes on a soft and unassuming tone in her newest effort, "Lullaby" (2009). Not the unforgettable firebrand feminism of "Pieces of You" (1995), nor destined to become the background music to a razor commercial (remember "Intuition" from "0304" (2003), made famous by Schick razors), "Lullaby" is a pleasant listen, but ultimately skippable.
Released in partnership with Fisher Price, "Lullaby" is a collection of children's music and lullabies (though in interviews, Jewel has said she prefers to call it "mood music"). Although there is value behind many of tracks, especially those in which her voice shines through, the almost waif-like quality of most of the songs reminds the listener how far Jewel has fallen.
Take "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," the 12th track on the album. Originally written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg for "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), this classic is one of the most frequently covered songs of all time, with renditions ranging in quality from Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's beautiful ukelele ballad from 1993, to the massive shipwreck officially known as Kathy Lee Gifford's 2000 cover.
Jewel falls squarely in the middle of such extremes. The opening lines of her version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" are sung a cappella, emphasizing her emotive and evocative voice. By slightly modifying the well-known melody and individualizing the track, it initially appears that Jewel succeeds in making an overplayed, overdone kitsch-fest of a tune fresh and relevant.
Then come the signs of trouble: the lightly plucked guitar, all cutesy, dainty and nearly nauseatingly twinkling; a crooning violin chorus straight out of the schmaltzy hell of a knick-knack shop.
The woman's got pipes, so not all is wretched. But the track ultimately bores, a theme that unfortunately pervades the entire album.
