Jewel, “Freewheelin’ Woman.”

During the opening vocalizing of “Long Way ‘Round,” it’s immediately apparent why Jewel titled her new album Freewheelin’ Woman. Her voice, as powerful as ever, emulates the feeling of someone who’s learned to not takes things too seriously. It’s not a mindset one just adopts overnight, but it’s a good one to promote when times still feel uncertain. “Problems might appear/ Closer in the rearview mirror/ You gotta let ‘em go,” she sings on the opening track.

The last album Jewel Kilcher released was 2015’s Picking Up the Pieces, and since then she’s been busy with an array of projects. She’s continued to work with the Inspiring Children Foundation, which helps at-risk youth deal with anxiety, depression and, now, isolation triggered by the pandemic. She worked on a book and a movie. In 2021 she competed on and won reality show “The Masked Singer.” Now, she’s representing Alaska in the “American Song Contest.” The new album—originally slated for a 2020 release, comes at the same time as the latter TV show.

A common lyrical theme on Freewheelin’ Woman is Jewel sitting in cars and thinking about moving forward but being stuck looking back. On the lively “Alibis,” she sings about never seeing a man clearer than she does in her rearview mirror. “I won’t stop loving me/ Just because you stopped loving me,” she sings before the skippy, energetic chorus. Jewel was inspired by R&B-inflected pop records from her youth, and this song sounds the most in that vein.

“Dance Sing Laugh Love” is a lively country-leaning jam. She concludes that these four adjectives are about all that’s worth it in life. And don’t fight, after all, “Ain’t like Jesus Christ and Buddha ever fight,” she sings in one of the album’s most memorable lyrics.

On “Living With Your Memory” she touches on the downfalls of shooting from the hip. She gets tired of constantly following her feet, since no work ever felt like her true calling, and is stuck living with the memories of a man who wanted to settle down with her while she was busy wandering.

On the slower side of the album, there’s “Half Life,” which narrates the stories of people who’re tired of the mundane and just don’t see things picking up. There’s the guy who spills green juice on his shirt at work; Sally, who takes half a pill before bed to fall asleep watching TV; and Gary, who sits in his car after work, “smokin’ a little green” while thinking about his kids and what his life has become. It’s both a clever and moving tribute to those of us who just can’t figure out exactly what needs to change to make us feel whole.

Darius Rucker makes an appearance on touching ballad “No More Tears,” originally released in 2020 without the country star and Hootie and the Blowfish singer. The new version of the song has a fuller and twangier sound. It’s not a country song, however—more Hootie ballad than a country one.

On “When You Loved Me,” Jewel’s effortlessly smooth vocals stretch and grow into a belt from deep within. It’s introspective as she looks into the sky at the birds flying in formation and reminisces on an old lover.

Freewheelin’ Woman concludes with “Nothing But Love,” where she praises the power of love and how it can bring the world to its knees. Packed into the final moments there’s one bonus track, “Alaska.” A cover of Maggie Rogers’ debut single, Jewel’s interpretation recalls memories of her home state. She wades through icy streams that take her breath away and walks to forget both past lovers and herself. “Leave me be/ I’m exhaling,” she sings in a light coo, the song showing that though the last couple of years she’s been carefree, she hasn’t always been. Freewheelin’ Woman is almost exactly what you’d expect from Jewel, and that’s precisely why it’s worth a listen.

Follow Domenic Strazzabosco at Twitter.com/domenicstrazz and Instagram.com/domenicstrazz.