For Jewel, choosing a favorite genre in music is like trying to pick a favorite film.
There’s too much to enjoy.
“My eclectic tastes tend to show in my writing as well,” said the singer/songwriter, who has dabbled in several musical genres in her career — contemporary, country and folk. Her latest musical endeavour, called “Lullaby,” features a collection of lullabies, some of which she’ll perform at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Wednesday.
Think “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” followed by Jewel’s own homespun melodies. The album, produced by Jewel and recorded at her Texas ranch, is her first independent release.
“Basically, they’re songs I’ve written for myself over the years that are basically lullabies,” Jewel said during a phone interview from Baltimore, where she kicked off a 17-city tour last week. “And I thought if I enjoy lullabies, there must be other adults who enjoy that kind of music, too. So it’s a really soothing mood album.”
While the album is intended for adults, it’s great for children, too, said Jewel. She partnered with Fisher-Price earlier this year to debut the album.
Known for hits such as “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “Hands” and “Standing Still,” Jewel loves each song. Of the many songs she’s penned, the ones that speak to her the most are the new ones, which she seems to constantly churn out.
Her newest lyrical creation is a tune called “You Lied,” which falls in line with a familiar theme in Jewel’s music: heartbreak.
“You Lied” is about the promise of a forever love that dies instead.
“And the messed up thing about it,” the lyrics read on her Web site, “is that I still want your love.”
When Jewel isn’t busy touring or writing music, she’s working on her charity — Project Clean Water, which she started in 1997. The project combats water problems in underprivileged areas across the globe. So far, about 35 clean water wells have been placed in 15 countries, she said. Her project recently joined forces with Virgin United to enhance water projects in sub-Sarharan Africa villages.
Project Clean Water was inspired by Jewel’s rugged past. Not long after graduating from high school and before she rose to stardom, she was homeless for a year. She was 18, living in her car. Because of her ailing kidneys, she had to drink about a gallon of water a day, she said. But she couldn’t afford to buy much of it.
“I thought, if we’re in America and drinking bottled water, I wonder what it’s like in countries where there is no bottled water,” she said.
She told herself then that if she was ever in a position to look into it, she would.
Little did she know her life would change in such a dramatic way that she could.
It seems her life prior to fame — being homeless for a year, the time she lived in a cabin without plumbing as a teenager and rode a horse for transportation — has kept her grounded.
“I love having been raised in Alaska,” she said. “I was taught to work very hard, never to feel entitled to anything. And that’s something I still feel today. I’m really grateful for that work ethic.”
Even with eight albums under her belt, Jewel has remained the artist she was before celebrity found her.
And her generous heart has only increased.
Besides providing clean water to parts of the world, Jewel loves to give away free tickets to fans who can’t afford to come to concerts. It’s her way of connecting to them.
For many of her fans, though, her multifaceted music is the tie that binds.
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