Jewel Shows Confidence in Mixed Set

It’s been quite a year for Jewel Kilcher, an Alaska native and former San Diego coffeehouse crooner who at one point lived out of her van to focus on her music dreams. With a Joni Mitchell-like voice and a wholesome aura, the singer was nominated for two Grammys and reached the Top 10 with two sweet, lilting hits: “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “You Were Meant for Me,” from her debut album, “Pieces of You.”

On Wednesday, the first of her two sold-out nights at the Wiltern Theatre, Jewel (she uses just her first name) seemed far more confident than the giddy woman who played at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre last year. The transformation was riveting--for a while.

Though she dutifully worked through her hits, Jewel was here to unveil her new songs, a wild mix that moved from a tune sung from the point of view of a murderous rape victim to message-thick spiritual folk dirges and country-tinged numbers. But the singer, who played most of the show solo with her own acoustic guitar accompaniment, was more appealing when delivering unadorned, aching folk-pop about boyfriends who leave or uncomplicated songs about innocence.

The mostly young, female fans hung on her every word, shouting, “We love you, Jewel!” The love-feast feel would have been fine if Jewel hadn’t wandered into the realm of folk-diva, whipping out daunting vocal theatrics that would have made Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey proud. The over-the-top approach turned Jewel’s display of her yodeling skills--something that felt fun and refreshing last year--into just one more vocal trick.

While Jewel is obviously aiming at moving her show beyond the simple coffeehouse set and into a bigger, arena-worthy act, her theatrics and religious references felt cloying. Most of her new songs staggered under the globe-embracing, Whitman-esque burden of her lyrics. It left you wondering whether she will be able to move beyond the realm of folk-pop underdog and become a strong, mature force in pop music.

* Jewel performs tonight at RIMAC Arena, UC San Diego, 8 p.m. Sold out. (619) 534-6467.