CEDAR FALLS -- In the '90s, Jewel dominated the pop charts with hits like "Who Will Save Your Soul," "Foolish Games," and "You Were Meant for Me."

She seemed to have found the perfect formula -- solid acoustic guitar work, a wide (and expressive) vocal range and lyrics peppered with personal pain and angst. When the singer-songwriter sidled up to the mike, her crystal-clear and often plaintive voice connected with fans young and old. And even after making it big, her songs, and the casual way she performed them, gave a coffeehouse-gig feel to even the largest of her sold-out stadium shows.

In the past year, Jewel has switched gears, releasing her first county album, "Perfectly Clear." The Texas resident has now added cowboy bravado to her long list of vocal qualities. On some tracks, she sings with a twang. But the lyrics, and the personal touch Jewel adds to her live shows, remain the same.

"I've always been fascinated with lyrics, and if you love lyrics, country music is one of the best places for you to be," said the 34-year-old musician. "I've always had a mixed style where no one ever knew quite what to call me -- it was kind of folk and it was kind of country.

"Now, the formats have changed," Jewel continued. "Pop music has become slick and very urban, which I don't fit at all, and country music has kind of opened up."

Jewel will perform songs from both facets of her career Nov. 1 at the University of Northern Iowa's McLeod Center. The show starts at 7 p.m. with special guest Steve Poltz, a Canadian guitarist best known for co-writing Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me."

Making the switch to country music was a natural move, said Jewel, who grew up on a ranch in Alaska. The musician penned some of the songs off "Perfectly Clear" when she was 18.

"There's really not a huge difference from what I've done and what I'm dong now," said Jewel. "It's not like I woke up and became somebody else; this is still my sensibility and how I think ï½ it's still my own little quirky viewpoint."

"Perfectly Clear," Jewel's seventh career album, was released in June by Valory Music Co., an arm of the Nashville-based Big Machine Records. It's lead single, "Stronger Woman," peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Its second single, "I Do," reached the US Country Top 40 chart. John Rich, of the country rock duo Big & Rich, produced the album.

Fans of Jewel will see a few changes with the new material. Traditional country instruments, like the steel string guitar, are employed in "Anyone But You," and the former folkie's voice takes on a distinctly Loretta Lynn quality in the ballad "Rosey and Mick." But shades of Jewel's folk-pop past shine through on "Love is a Garden" and "Thump Thump."

"A lot of songs on there could have been on any album at any point in my career," Jewel said. "It isn't a very big departure."

Tickets for the Cedar Falls show are 40, plus fees. Jewel said she plans to use the stop to convert new fans and reconnect with old ones.

"I want to keep my fan base, but introduce myself to people who might know my name, but not actually know much about me or what I do," said Jewel, who married longtime boyfriend and retired bull rider Ty Murray in August. "I've been touring with Brad Paisley, and the fans have been really warm and receptive."

At the McLeod Center show, the singer-songwriter will tackle the task of building a country audience while staying true to her folk roots.

"No matter what you call it, it's still me," said Jewel. "Country, folk, whatever. It's me."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482

or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.