Description
Lyrically, Jewel explores themes of independence, womanhood, hope, and heartbreak in these new songs. Musically, Freewheelin’ Woman is perhaps her most stylistically diverse album, encompassing folk, pop, and R&B. “The record is definitely showing influences I haven’t been able to pay homage to before,” she says. “A lot of the Muscle Shoals sound and Dusty Springfield and Sarah Vaughan—stuff that I was very obsessed with when I was between thirteen and fifteen [years old].”
It’s been quite a while since Jewel’s last studio album, Picking Up the Pieces (2015), but she says this break was necessary: “I’ve always taken a lot of years between records when I feel like I need time to psychologically adjust or to creatively reload & actually have meaningful things to write about.” Jewel thinks the key to her longevity lies in her determination to stay true to herself, and her willingness to share that with the world in turn. “I think nothing’s more interesting than someone telling you the truth, and everybody’s truth is unique,” she says. ‘What’s the most honest thing I can say?’ Have the courage to be yourself. Don’t let anybody tell you what you can and can’t do, or what your worth is.”
