In the wake of success, there came a distinct backlash from Jewel's broad fanbase after she took a huge leap from folk-pop to dance-pop. It may have went gold, but 2003's "0304" was inevitably a flop, though no fault of the music, which was Jewel's most hooky and listenable. Since that time, there were two paths that she could have taken for her next album: she could have deepened the dance grooves and stuck with the glitz of "0304", or she could have run back to what made her a star in the late 90s. Cannily, Jewel was able to split the difference between these two routes, settling back into her acoustic beginnings but strengthening their melodic foundation to prove that she's not simply running away from her drastic makeover. On the contrary, Jewel embraces her decision, and the bulk of 2006's "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" addresses her life in three years that separated these albums. Although that's not to say that this album is simply an acoustic version of "0304"; it's just as soft and as innocent as "Pieces of You" or "This Way", but this time the songs are tight, sturdy, and most importantly, hooky and memorable. It doesn't play as straightforward pop, but "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" is indeed pop-py, working simple melodies into the intricately woven production. These two elements are best exemplified in the opening track "Again and Again", which kicks off the album with a gentle, pushing momentum. It's one of her more simplistic songs lyrically, but it glides over its driving guitar and earthy atmosphere. The rest of the album doesn't quite measure up to that particular song, but that doesn't mean the rest of the songs don't work. In actuality, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" could be Jewel's strongest album, meaning a coherent set of songs that lead to a satisfying whole. There's sure plenty of satisfying songs throughout, whether it be the guitar driven "Long Slow Slide" or the closest flirtation with pop/rock here, "Only One Too". Elsewhere, Jewel adds some lite R&B loops on "Last Dance Rodeo", and she consciously re-works "Fragile Heart", a track on "0304", into her trademark singer/songwriter style. This decision may not be entirely coincidental, as she meticulously re-crafts it into an almost different song. This re-work not only proves just how sharp a song-crafter Jewel is, but it also brings out the understated musicality in "0304", something rather difficult to do for any artist. "Fragile Heart" in its new setting may pretty much be Jewel's response to the cold sholder she received in 2003. This is an artistic statement as well as a personal one, saying that "0304" was a product of songcraft, not studiocraft. Also, it's Jewel's clever way of stating that while she willingly went all-in during her shift to dance-pop, she was able to point out just how mundane the genre could be. All of this is stated in this album's most definitive moment, the meandering title track. It's an apt title, as it implies that Jewel is saying goodbye to the glamor and glitz from her preceeding album and headed back into her own mind. But more importantly, it's her keen way of saying that she knows why she made her career choices, and what she has learned from that experience. "0304" was an artistic move Jewel needed to make, because it prompted her to dig deeper into her creativity than ever before, and has made an album that "Pieces of You" should have sounded like. All of this exhausting introspection may be taxing in the second half the record, and it's sure not aided by this album's overhated and undercooked nature as a whole, but none of this stops this from making "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" from being the most interesting set of songs she's made in a decade. Jewel doesn't have the big profile, or the audience, she did in 1997, but that's no excuse to write her off; "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" deserves a fair shot.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Again and Again 2. Long Slow Slide3. Goodbye Alice
4. Good Day 5. Satellite 6. Only One
Too
7. Words Get in the Way 8. Drive to You 9. Last Dance Rodeo
10. Fragile Heart 11. Stephenville , TX
13. 1000 Miles Away
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