Colvin’s a great folk-pop songwriter. She sings immaculately conceived melodies and writes subtly about very tricky matters of the head and heart. Alas, she’s 41 at a time when record buyers either aren’t 41 or don’t want to be reminded. If you were a record executive, wouldn’t you rather market Jewel? Sure, her album’s a coffeehouse nightmare, but she’s got a great voice– plus, she’s 22 and she’ll show up at award shows in a see-through dress. Colvin’s debut, 1989’s ““Steady On,’’ won a folk Grammy. Ever since, she’s toured eight months a year to make a living - mostly solo because it’s cheaper. (Her albums typically sell 300,000 or 400,000 copies and don’t turn a profit.) She’s also been trying to sell herself without selling her soul. ““There are very subtle battles,’’ says Colvin. ““It’s not like they ask you to wear a slip. Nonetheless, it’s implied. It’s psychological warfare. You’re made to feel unattractive. And who are you going to believe? You have to have people around you who are on ly invested in telling you the truth: your friends, your sister, your boyfriend.''
And the truth shall set you free. Colvin’s new single, ““Sunny Came Home,’’ is her first bona fide hit, and her latest and best album, ““A Few Small Repairs,’’ will likely go gold (500,000 copies) before you finish this article. Smoking in a hallway at the nonsmoking NBC building, where she’s about to play on Conan O’Brien’s show, Colvin’s entirely gracious - but not a little tired and fuzzy from promoting her album. She says she feels more confident than ever in the studio these days. What gave her the confidence? ““Experience,’’ she says. ““Experience - and a certain amount of sex.’’ Strike that. Freudian slip. ““I mean, success. A certain amount of success and a certain amount of failure.’’ Colvin, who moved to Austin, Texas, from L.A. in 1991, is about to marry for the second time, not that she sees enough of her fiance: she’s on tour through June, and will join up with the all-female Lilith tour in August. Jewel’s also on that tour, and Colvin says she likes her stuff. Perfect - maybe she can teach her something.
