Spirit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 17, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 54:12 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | ||||
Jewel chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Spirit | ||||
Spirit is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on November 17, 1998, by Atlantic Records. Singles include "Hands", "Down So Long", and a newly recorded version of "Jupiter", followed by a remix of "What's Simple Is True" to promote Jewel's debut film Ride with the Devil . In addition, a one-track CD containing a live version of "Life Uncommon" was released to music stores in hopes to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity.
Spirit debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 368,000 copies sold in its first week. It went on to sell 3.7 million units in the United States. [5]
Kilcher began writing material for Spirit after the release of Pieces of You in 1995. [6] In 1996, she recorded six songs with producer Peter Collins, but scrapped the tracks after singles from her debut album, Pieces of You , began to receive significant radio play. [6]
In a 1998 interview, she divulged that the song "Fat Boy" was written about a boy she grew up with who committed suicide on her family's property in Alaska: "There was a note [he left] that said some thing along the lines of, 'Nobody will love me,.' And to know that you're not sexually attractive in our society at age thirteen or to feel that you won't ever be loved at age eighteen is just devastating." [6] She also stated that the song "Hands" was written based on the notion of: "if I watch what my hands do, I'd have a better idea of what I was thinking, consciously or subconsciously." [6]
Spirit was recorded at Groove Masters in Santa Monica, California, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood. [7] Jewel recorded the album with producer Patrick Leonard (who frequently had worked with Madonna), who added percussive undercurrents and keyboards to the guitar-based tracks. [6]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
American Songwriter | [8] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
Los Angeles Times | [11] |
NME | 1/10 [12] |
Q | [13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
Spin | 4/10 [15] |
USA Today | [16] |
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote of the album: "With her dulcet voice and lulling refrains, Jewel makes the social and political ills of the world go down easy. But in doing so, she unintentionally confounds the problem, since her honeyed background-music folk makes issues of life and death appear more benign and less worrisome than they are. Jewel truly has brought topical folk songs into the modern age: She makes complacent rabble-rousers." [9] Rolling Stone 's Rob Sheffield felt that while "Jewel's sincere sentiment has its attractions in a time of irony overload", she "spends most of Spirit straining for grand meaning-of-life statements." [14]
Jon Pareles of The New York Times compared Jewel's vocal mannerisms on the album to those of Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Michael Stipe, and Rickie Lee Jones, adding that "half the songs ... reach an otherworldly tenderness, redeeming the lyrics through the grace of the music." [17] Wendy Brandes of CNN praised Jewel's vocals on the album, though added: "In the funky, accusatory 'Who Will Save Your Soul' on the first album, Jewel dropped to a growl to ask, 'Who will save your soul after the lies that you told, boy.' Songs in the new collection such as 'Hands' and 'Kiss the Flame' are, by contrast, pleasant folky confections that don't distinguish themselves musically or lyrically." [18]
All tracks are written by Jewel Kilcher, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Deep Water" | 4:16 | |
2. | "What's Simple Is True" | 3:34 | |
3. | "Hands" |
| 3:54 |
4. | "Kiss the Flame" | 3:17 | |
5. | "Down So Long" | 4:13 | |
6. | "Innocence Maintained" | 4:08 | |
7. | "Jupiter" | 4:18 | |
8. | "Fat Boy" | 2:54 | |
9. | "Enter from the East" | 4:02 | |
10. | "Barcelona" | 3:53 | |
11. | "Life Uncommon" | 4:56 | |
12. | "Do You" | 4:21 | |
13. | "Absence of Fear" (hidden track: "This Little Bird") | hidden track by John D. Loudermilk | 7:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Who Will Save Your Soul" (Live) | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Down So Long" | 5:24 |
2. | "What's Simple Is True" | 3:54 |
3. | "Foolish Games" | 4:34 |
4. | "Do You" | 4:17 |
5. | "Who Will Save Your Soul" | 5:05 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Deep Water" | |
2. | "What's Simple is True" | |
3. | "Hands" | |
4. | "Kiss The Flame" | |
5. | "Down So Long" | |
6. | "Innocence Maintained" | |
7. | "Jupiter" | |
8. | "Fat Boy" | |
9. | "Enter From The East" | |
10. | "Barcelona" | |
11. | "Life Uncommon" | |
12. | "Do You" | |
13. | "Absence of Fear" | |
14. | "This Little Bird" | |
15. | "Hands" (Single remix) | |
16. | "Down So Long" (Single Remix) | |
17. | "Jupiter" (Single - Alternate Version) | |
18. | "What's Simple Is True" (Soundtrack Version) | |
19. | "You Were Meant For Me" (Live 2 Meter Sessions At VARA Studio, Netherlands – October 16, 1996) | |
20. | "Who Will Save Your Soul" (Live 2 Meter Sessions At VARA Studio, Netherlands – October 16, 1996) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Down So Long" (Live At Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Madrid, Spain – February 11th 1999) | |
2. | "What's Simple Is True" (Live At Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Madrid, Spain – February 11th 1999) | |
3. | "Foolish Games" (Live At Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Madrid, Spain – February 11th 1999) | |
4. | "Do You" (Live At Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Madrid, Spain – February 11th 1999) | |
5. | "Who Will Save Your Soul" (Live At Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Madrid, Spain – February 11th 1999) | |
6. | "Innocence Maintained" (Live At Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, CO – January 22, 1999) | |
7. | "Fat Boy" (Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK – November 14, 1997) | |
8. | "Deep Water" (Live At Fox FM Studios, Melbourne, Australia – February 25, 1999) | |
9. | "Enter From The East" (Solo Acoustic Outtake) | |
10. | "The Sue Lee Song" (Demo) | |
11. | "Hands" (Alternate Version) | |
12. | "Songs of Freedom" (Studio Outtake) | |
13. | "Last Dance Rodeo" (Home Boombox Demo) | |
14. | "Wandering" (Demo) | |
15. | "Gloria" (Demo) | |
16. | "Barcelona" (Live At Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – July 9, 1999) | |
17. | "Down" (Live At Woodstock ’99, Rome, NY, July 25, 1999) | |
18. | "Beeswax Operetta" (Studio Outtake) |
Technical personnel
Art personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [39] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [40] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [41] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [42] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [44] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
0304 is the fifth studio album by American singer Jewel, released on June 3, 2003, by Atlantic Records. Inspired by Jewel's sudden success topping the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in early November 2002 with a remix of "Serve the Ego", the final single from her previous album This Way, the album is a radical departure from her previous folk-oriented musical efforts and is instead more pop and dance-focused.
Hell Freezes Over is the second live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album is the first to be released after the Eagles had reformed following a fourteen-year break up. The band's lineup was that of the Long Run era: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. It contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special. Two Top 40 Mainstream singles, "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive", were released from the album. It also features an acoustic version of "Hotel California". The four new studio recordings are the last to feature Don Felder, who was fired from the band in 2001.
Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series. It includes a version of the successful 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla". The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide.
Talk on Corners is the second studio album by Irish family pop rock band the Corrs. It was released on 17 October 1997 by 143, Lava and Atlantic Records. Preceded by lead single "Only When I Sleep", which became a top ten hit internationally, the album was an immediate commercial success in several territories, including Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Its commercial performance elsewhere was initially modest, however.
Pieces of You is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on February 28, 1995, by Atlantic Records. It was produced by Ben Keith, who has also produced works for artists such as Neil Young and Patsy Cline. Featuring acoustic guitar-based songs written when Jewel was a teenager, the album is composed of both live recordings from 1994 at the Innerchange, a coffeehouse in San Diego, and studio recordings completed at Neil Young's personal studio in Redwood City, California.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major-label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 9, 1996, in Europe and Australia, and the following day in the United States. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the band's final album recorded with founding drummer Bill Berry, original manager Jefferson Holt, and long-time producer Scott Litt. The members of R.E.M. consider the recorded album representative of the band at their peak, and fans generally regard it as the band's last great record before a perceived artistic decline during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has sold around seven million units, growing in cult status years after its release, with several retrospectives ranking it among the best of the band's recorded catalogue.
Mistaken Identity is the sixth studio album by American singer Kim Carnes, released in April 1981 by EMI America Records. The album spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, and was subsequently certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Tidal is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, released on July 23, 1996, by The WORK Group. Tidal produced three singles: "Shadowboxer", "Sleep to Dream", and "Criminal". The latter was the album's most popular single, winning a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1998. In 2017, Tidal got its first vinyl run as a "Vinyl Me Please" exclusive "Record of the Month".
Emotional Rescue is the fifteenth studio album by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 June 1980 by Rolling Stones Records. Following the success of their previous album, Some Girls, their biggest hit to date, the Rolling Stones returned to the studio in early 1979 to start writing and recording its follow-up. Full-time members Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Ronnie Wood (guitar), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums) were joined by frequent collaborators Ian Stewart (keyboards), Nicky Hopkins (keyboards), Bobby Keys (saxophone) and Sugar Blue (harmonica).
The Globe Sessions is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, released on September 21, 1998, in the United Kingdom and September 29, 1998, in the United States, then re-released in 1999. It was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Non-Classical Album at the 1999 Grammys, winning the latter two awards. The Globe Sessions reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, while peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of two million as of January 2008. The album was recorded at and named for the sessions recorded at Globe Recording Studio in New York owned by Robert FitzSimons and Tracey Loggia.
This Way is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on November 13, 2001, by Atlantic Records. Jewel was looking for a raw, live-sounding album, leading her to be involved in the album's production. The album spawned the singles "Standing Still" and "Break Me", as well as the title track, which was also featured on the soundtrack to the film Life or Something Like It. The final single, "Serve the Ego", was remixed by Hani Num and Mike Rizzo and topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. The album debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 140,000 units. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 17, 2001, and as of June 2010, it had sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States. This Way reached number six in Australia and has since been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Forever Your Girl is the debut studio album by American singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 21, 1988, through Virgin Records. The album was Abdul's breakthrough into the music industry after being a choreographer for high-profile clients including Kate Bush, The California Raisins, George Michael, ZZ Top, Duran Duran and most notably Janet Jackson. At the time of the album's release it was the most successful debut album of all time and was the first time an artist scored four US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from a debut album. It is currently certified 7× platinum by the RIAA.
R. is the third solo album by American singer R. Kelly, released as a double album on November 10, 1998, by Jive Records. It marked the first time Kelly worked with other producers as opposed to producing the entire album himself. Its cover artwork uses the same image of Kelly from his 1993 debut 12 Play, only in silhouette form against a red and black background.
Hits is the first greatest hits album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 5 October 1998 in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States. The collection included fourteen top 40 hits, including seven American number one songs, spanning from the albums Face Value (1981) through Dance into the Light (1996). One new Collins recording, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", also appeared on the collection and was a popular song on adult contemporary stations. Hits was also the first Phil Collins album to include four songs originally recorded for motion pictures as well as his popular duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover".
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
On How Life Is is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Macy Gray. It was released on July 1, 1999, by Epic Records and Clean Slate. Produced by Andrew Slater, it became Gray's best-selling album to date, selling 3.4 million copies in the United States and seven million copies worldwide.
"Hands" is a song by American singer Jewel, released as the first single from her second studio album, Spirit (1998). Jewel wrote the song following an incident in which she considered stealing a sundress after getting fired from various jobs due to kidney troubles, and she decided that her hands were better suited to writing songs than stealing clothes. Written as one of the last songs for the album, the lyrics express how the smallest decisions have the power to make change. A piano-driven ballad, the song was serviced to American radio stations on October 7, 1998, ahead of its planned release date in mid-October due to a radio leak in Dallas, Texas.
"Down So Long" is a song written by American singer Jewel and produced by Patrick Leonard for Jewel's second album, Spirit (1998). Jewel wrote the song in 1992, when she was 18 years old. This was the second single that Jewel had not re-recorded vocals for its single release. The single release received a very slight change in the instrumental and was released on March 16, 1999.
"No Matter What" is a song from the 1996 musical Whistle Down the Wind that was popularised by Irish boyband Boyzone in 1998 when they recorded it to tie in with the show's first UK production. The song was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, while Lloyd Webber, Steinman and Nigel Wright produced the track, with additional production by Franglen & Lupino. The song was also featured on the US edition of the soundtrack to the 1999 film Notting Hill, and was released to American radio on 10 May 1999.
H2O is the eleventh studio album by American pop rock duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released on October 4, 1982, by RCA Records. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, making it the duo's highest-charting album, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with sales of over two million copies. The album title is a play on the chemical formula for water, where "H" is for Hall and "O" is for Oates. It features three US top-10 singles, including "Maneater", the most successful single of their career, spending four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album marks the first appearance for longtime bassist and musical director Tom "T-Bone" Wolk.