If you’re a fan of Jewel, then you’ll want to check out her fourth album, This Way. Released on November 13, 2001, the album is a pop-rock and folk classic that features singles like “Standing Still” and “Serve the Ego.” The album was produced by Jewel herself, alongside Dann Huff, Lenedra Carroll, and Ron Shapiro. It debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and has since sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States.
About Jewel’s This Way
This Way was recorded between November 2000 and August 2001 at studios including Emerald Entertainment, Ocean Way, and Soundstage. All three of these studios are located in Nashville, TN. The album clocks in at 58:42 minutes and is the fourth album jewel had released, appearing after Joy: A Holiday Collection in 1999 and before 0304 in 2003.
This Way was written entirely by Jewel Kilcher, with the exception of a few songs co-written with others. These include tracks like “Serve the Ego”, co-written by Jewel, Cesar Lemos, and Itaal Shur, as well as “Standing Still” written by Jewel and Rick Nowels.
In terms of genre, the album is a mix of folk, pop, and rock, with some country influence as well. It also features elements of electronica on tracks like “Serve the Ego.” The album’s four singles are “Standing Still” (released October 2001), “Break Me” (January 2002), “This Way” (June 12, 2002), and “Serve the Ego” (September 24, 2002).
This Way generally received mixed reviews from critics. While Allmusic gives the work four stars, Entertainment Weekly graded it a C- and Blender only gave the album two stars.
Looking back, this album is a great example of early 2000s adult-oriented rock music. If you’re a fan of Jewel or just want to take a trip down memory lane, This Way is definitely worth a listen. Who knows, you might even find yourself singing along to “Serve the Ego” or “Standing Still” at the grocery store.
This Way Tracklist
- Standing Still
- Jesus Loves You
- Everybody Needs Someone Sometime
- Break Me
- Do You Want To Play?
- Till We Run Out of Road
- Serve the Ego
- This Way
- Cleveland
- I Won’t Walk Away
- Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone
- The New Wild West
Core Musicians
- Jewel – Vocals
- Dann Huff – Electric Guitar
- Jerry McPherson – additional electric guitars
- John Willis, B. James Lowry – acoustic guitars
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
- Tim Akers – keyboards
- Chris McHugh, Steve Brewster – drums
- Eric Darken – percussion
Production Team
- Producers: Jewel, Dan Huff, John Kurzweg
- Executive Producers: Leandra Carroll, Ron Shapiro
- Engineers: Jeff Balding, John Kurzweg
- Assistant Engineers: David Bryant, Jed Hackett
- Mixing: Jeff Balding
- Mastering: Robert Hadley, Doug Sax
- Production Coordinator: Mike “Frog” Griffith
- Art Direction: Chad Farmer
- Photography: Ellen Von Unwerth
- Studio Intern: Fred Hyser
If you liked this article on Jewel’s album This Way, check out similar articles on Jewel’s albums Pieces of You and Spirit.