Jewel – “Stronger Woman”

Songwriters: Jewel/Marv Green

Growing up in Alaska, Jewel used to ride out into the wilderness on horseback, with a .45 strapped to her hip. She also killed a bear when she was only three.

One of the above is a true story.

Either way, though, it’s hard to deny that Ms. Kilcher has her feet soundly planted in a country lifestyle and upbringing. So, what is being hailed by many as a crossover or a shift in genre seems to me more like a homecoming.

“Stronger Woman” is fresh and smart, and it boasts a confident and commanding vocal performance the likes of which we rarely hear in country music–or in any other kind of music, for that matter.

And if there’s something that makes this performance sound ‘left’ of the country music we’re used to hearing, we should be thankful–because we would be extremely lucky if the progression of our genre followed along the path that this extraordinary artist is helping to clear.

I say this not because I’m necessarily a fan of John Rich’s ultra-clean production (I’m not), or because I think “Stronger Woman” is necessarily groundbreaking in a holistic sense (it isn’t). If anything, we can find fault here in the fact that the song’s production panders to country radio (those steel guitars are just too predictably placed), and in the fact that it, perhaps, tries to force Jewel’s writing into a mainstream mold that it isn’t particularly suited to.

Further, it is absolutely appalling that an artist as lyrically gifted as Jewel is forced to change the word “horny,” as it appears in the album version of this song, to “frisky.”

But even with those negative factors in hand, this song has the potential to be very, very significant, because it does at least one thing very, very right–although most of the hoopla surrounding the current Jewel discussion has been concerned with her potent songwriting, the fact that this is an engaging lyric is only a secondary issue. What’s big about this record–what’s huge about this record–is the vocal.

Country singers, especially females, have a tendency to get boxed in to a handful of archetypes. We have the Divas (Faith, Shania, Martina). We have the Bad Girls (Terri, Gretchen). We have the Traditionalists (LeeAnn, Flavor-of-The-Week). We now even have the Sorority Girls (Carrie, Kellie). And if a singer doesn’t fit into one of these precisely delineated groups, it’s difficult to gain industry attention.

Jewel’s vocals on this song defy these classifications. This woman, at least on this record, sounds nothing like anyone we’ve ever heard. And despite all the trouble Valory is going through to continuously point out Jewel’s connection to Music City, it is immediately and eminently clear upon hearing this song that while she might very well be country, she sure as heck ain’t Nashville.

And that brings up an interesting point. If someone who sounds like Jewel can get mainstream radio airplay, why not someone who sounds like Alison Moorer? Why not someone who sounds like Tift Merritt? Why not any of the artists who are now considered “too country,” “too blues,” “too folk,” or too whatever?

“Stronger Woman” presents the opportunity for all of us to ask that question. Why not? Because if you can spin Jewel in your midday rotation, the arguments and justifications for not spinning all of those other progressive-sounding artists become significantly less compelling.

Don’t get me wrong. This is a John Rich single. It has a specific and audible commercial bend that goes beyond that of the Moorers and the Merritts. But it’s a big step towards bridging the gap between two very divided musical landscapes. And it’s a slash in the armor of the archetypes that hold the format in a state of gridlock.

And these things can only benefit the long-term health of country music.

Listen: Jewel – “Stronger Woman”