Entertainment Weekly (p.135) - "Sincerity is still her main trade, as are showbiz-as-Hades tropes and romantic confessionals." -- Grade: B
Q (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he woman remains ultimately unpretentious..."
Personnel: Jewel (vocals, acoustic guitar); Rob Cavallo, Tim Pierce, Greg Suran (guitar); Jamie Muhoberac (piano, keyboards); Paul Bushnell, John Pierce (bass guitar); Dorian Crozier (drums, programming); Luis Conte (percussion).
On 2006's GOODBYE ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Jewel Kilcher dusts off her folk-influenced singer/songwriter outfit and wears it confidently, as if her previous album, the beat-driven and blatantly pop-oriented 0304, was just some strange, brightly colored dream. In fact, this outing most obviously echoes Jewel's debut, PIECES OF YOU, with its chiming melodies and soul-searching themes. The record opens with a buoyant, catchy instant Jewel classic, "Again and Again," while the subsequent "Long Slow Slide" evokes depression in a disarmingly beautiful way. "Good Day" shifts from light, playful verses to a bold, majestic chorus, and the energetic "Satellite" sounds remarkably like a Sheryl Crow tune, revealing that Kilcher has retained a bankable pop/rock sensibility, even as she steps back from the gloss of 0304. Though GOODBYE ALICE IN WONDERLAND is rooted in highly confessional lyrics, its musical scope is the widest of any Jewel outing, arguably making it her most immediately appealing album.