Jewel: Live at Humphrey's by the Bay
June 2004 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Watching Jewel perform was like a visit from a friend. The comely singer/songwriter was standing in my living room, guitar in hand, singing to me. Ah, the serenity, the pleasure of it all. It was so nice for Jewel to stop by, despite her busy schedule.

Then I woke up.

Granted it was hard to wake up from such a calming and enjoyable experience. Unlike the caffeinated concerts of Janet Jackson and Mark Anthony, Jewel prefers to keep things intimate and light. Starting off with a beautiful rendition of the Giovanni Bononcini aria "Per la Gloria d'Adorarvi," Jewel’s voice isn’t flashy or overwrought. It simply captures the delicacy and passion of the piece without trying to upstage it. This sets the tone for a fun and laid-back evening with a very confident and playful artist. I couldn’t help feeling at ease with Jewel.

Interestingly enough, the cuts from this concert that didn’t work were Jewel’s big hits. "You Were Meant for Me" and "Hands" are good songs, as both are built with intelligent lyrics and solid melodies. The problem was that I had heard these songs countless times, so there was nothing new or interesting to hear. The addition of more musicians also took away form the intimacy that defined Jewel’s solo performance. Jewel works best when she is by herself singing, playing guitar, and interacting with her audience. One of the best moments of this concert is when she invites a woman from the audience to help her remember the lyrics to "Kiss the Flame." The end result isn’t musically enjoyable per se, as much as a showcase for Jewel’s humility.

The quality of the image and sound is very good. The warmish lighting reinforces the homey feel of the experience. The image is sharp and free of any blatant flaws. Close-ups of Jewel are fabulously clean and textured. DTS and Dolby Digital are very close in overall fidelity. I did find that the DTS gave a smoother, sweeter sound to Jewel’s voice and guitar. Due to a less-than-capable microphone, dynamics were only average. There was no crackling or clipping, just compression of Jewel’s vocals as she belted out the lyrics on "Everything Breaks Sometimes."

A ten-minute interview with Jewel shows us a woman who is completely at ease with herself and her choices. This is the best part of the extras. The "Photo Gallery" is also enjoyable -- though for entirely different reasons. The photos show Jewel as intelligent and sexy: a woman who seems to have it all in terms of talent, life philosophy, and looks. The balance of the extras is on a par with the majority of concert DVDs and includes an OK selection of music videos. It would have been nice to have some additional material from Jewel’s other concerts; or better yet, to invite her back to my home for an encore.

Anthony, dream on.

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