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Perfectly Clear

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Perfectly Clear
Studio album by
Jewel
ReleasedJune 3, 2008 (2008-06-03)
RecordedLate 2006-Early 2008
GenreCountry
Length40:45
LabelValory
Producer
Jewel chronology
Goodbye Alice in Wonderland
(2006) 		Perfectly Clear
(2008) 		Lullaby
(2009)
Singles from Perfectly Clear
  1. "Stronger Woman"
    Released: February 11, 2008
  2. "I Do"
    Released: June 23, 2008
  3. "Till It Feels Like Cheating"
    Released: October 27, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(69/100) [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com [2]
Allmusic[3]
Billboard(positive) [4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
The New York Times(positive)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Slant Magazine[9]
USA Today[10]

Perfectly Clear is the seventh studio album recorded by American singer Jewel. Her first album of country music, it was released on Valory Records (an imprint of Big Machine Records) on June 3, 2008 (see 2008 in country music).

Album description

[edit]

The album is composed of a mixture of new and old fan-favorite songs, although only one of the songs had previously appeared on one of her albums. "2 Become 1", from 0304 appeared in a new country version that was re-titled, "Two Become One".[11] Its lead single, "Stronger Woman", peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.[12] John Rich, one half of the country rock duo Big & Rich, produced the album.[13]

"I Do", was released to country radio on June 23, 2008 as the album's second single, which peaked in the Top 40. "Till It Feels Like Cheating" was released on October 27, 2008 as the third single,[14] but only stayed on the charts for one week debuting and peaking at #57. Perfectly Clear debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies.[15] The album was released in Australia on May 29, 2009.[16] It was released across Europe in June 2009.[17] The European edition also includes the video for the first single "Stronger Woman". As of June 2010, the album has sold 370,000 copies worldwide, including 240,000 in the U.S.[18]

Critical reception

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The album received generally favorable reviews.[1] Rolling Stone magazine gave a mixed review, giving the album 2.5 stars out of 5. The reviewer said that "Jewel doesn't call upon the gritty storytelling of a real Nashville star […] the album is overcrowded by placid soft-rock tunes like "Two Become One" and "Anyone But You" with schmaltzy choruses and flavorless piano-laden verses."[8] Allmusic gave a mixed review too, giving the album 3 stars out of 5. The reviewer also criticized Rich's production and the "poppy, simple songs about relationships […] but it does mean it feels more like the Jewel that everybody came to love back in 1995[.]"[3]

A positive review came from Entertainment Weekly, which received the album well, calling Jewel an "earnest storyteller",[5] and Billboard magazine, which said that the album "is not only persuasive, but down-home, old-school country."[4] The New York Times gave the album an ambivalent review, saying that Jewel's voice was "sharp [and] assured" but criticizing the production.[7]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stronger Woman"Jewel, Marv Green4:02
2."I Do"Jewel4:04
3."Love Is a Garden"Jewel, Shaye Smith3:48
4."Rosey and Mick"Jewel3:36
5."Anyone but You"Jewel, Wynn Varble3:55
6."Thump Thump"Jewel3:57
7."Two Become One"Jewel, Guy Chambers3:44
8."Till It Feels Like Cheating"Lisa Carver, Liz Rose4:00
9."Everything Reminds Me of You"Jewel, Joe Firstman3:15
10."Loved by You (Cowboy Waltz)"Jewel3:28
11."Perfectly Clear"Jewel2:56

Personnel

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Production

[edit]
  • Jewel – producer
  • John Rich – producer
  • Bart Pursley – recording
  • Steve Beers – recording assistant (1)
  • Lowell Reynolds – recording assistant
  • Paul Hart – additional engineer
  • Vance Powell – additional engineer
  • Christopher Rowe – mixing
  • Sean Truskowski – mix assistant
  • Hank Williams – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Bethany Newman – art direction, design
  • Joshua Sage Newman – art direction, design
  • Kurt Markus – photography

Charts

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Singles

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Year Single Chart positions
US Country US US Pop
2008 "Stronger Woman" 13 84 95
"I Do" 38 — —
"Till It Feels Like Cheating" 57 — —

Release history

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Country Date
United States June 3, 2008
Canada
Australia May 29, 2009
Austria June 3, 2009
Germany
United Kingdom June 22, 2009
Spain
Denmark

References

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  1. ^ a b "Perfectly Clear Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  2. ^ "Jewel - Perfectly Clear". Countrymusic.about.com. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  3. ^ a b Perfectly Clear at AllMusic
  4. ^ a b "Perfectly Clear". Billboard. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  5. ^ a b Bierly, Mandi (June 6, 2008). "Perfectly Clear". Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Appleford, Steve (June 3, 2008). "A change, maybe, but predictable". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben; Petrusich, Amanda; Caramanica, Jon; Chinen, Nate (June 2, 2008). "Still Holding on to the Feeling: Journey in 2008". The New York Times.
  8. ^ a b Ganz, Caryn (June 12, 2008). "Perfectly Clear : Jewel : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (June 1, 2008). "Jewel: Perfectly Clear". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Mansfield, Brian (June 9, 2008). "Jewel, Perfectly Clear: Country Roads, Take Me Home". USA Today.
  11. ^ "Jewel, Brad Paisley To Tour Together". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  12. ^ Billboard - Hot Country Songs - Stronger Woman Archived May 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Gold, Scott (May 25, 2008). "Jewel sees Nashville as a destination, not a detour". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  14. ^ "News : Headlines : BREAKING NEWS: Brad Paisley Arrested? : Great American Country". Gactv.com. 2008-10-20. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  15. ^ "Disturbed Scores Third Straight No. 1 Album". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
  16. ^ [1][dead link]
  17. ^ Praxis Media. "Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: UK Forthcoming Albums ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads". Radio1.gr. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  18. ^ "Ask Billboard: Jewel, Ciara, Ricky Martin". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2017-01-20". imgur.com. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  20. ^ "Top 20 Country Chart - Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  21. ^ "Official UK Albums Top 100". Official Charts Company. June 28, 2009. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  22. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  23. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  24. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
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