We met Belle Jewel last week for the first time when we booked her for the Jester’Z Comedy Improv at the Mesa Riverfront. Even though she’s a hometown girl and often mixes in some of the same circles we do, we hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting her until then. And when we did…she knocked our socks off. We sometimes have musicians and singer/songwriters at the Jester’Z Theatre and so this was not new to us, but I knew she was something very special when she performed a version of Parks and Recreation‘s song “Lil’ Sebastion” by fictional band MouseRat (actually originally written and sung by Chris Pratt). It was both funny and heartbreaking at the same time and she had the crowd totally engaged with cellphones all lit up and singing along. It was special, I managed to record the last verse and put it on Facebook…you’ll notice the adorable mismatched socks, she was appropriately comfortable within the small family venue.
She’s just as comfortable on TV in a huge venue with millions of viewers, last night she secured her spot on the live shows (in two weeks) by singing a very smooth and cool version of “Don’t Dream it’s Over” on Season 11 of The Voice in the final Knockouts. So far in both venues there’s a lot to be impressed by as she has a style sorely missing on this year’s The Voice, which should help her go far and build up the fan base she needs in the next month or so. Her song choices are particularly amazing as she dials in on what she likes very effectively and gives them her magic touch, usually both heartfelt and sincere and very reminiscent of a lost era of jazzy melodic film noir. She would fit right in to Dark City right next to Jennifer Connelly or with Sean Young in Blade Runner…
One of the very best things about her is her signature smile and authentic sweetness. In complimenting contrast with her style, it gives her such a unique blend of dark and light tones, best of both worlds and also gives us the comfort of an era long past but not forgotten. It’s about time that good things happen to good people, and believe me when I tell you she’s worth listening to! Please like her Facebook page and keep track of her on The Voice. In fact, tune in the next few weeks and VOTE for her!