A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll

Jewel can’t seem to stand still— not in her career or life.

On Saturday, the singer-songwriter-poet-actress makes a return to  visit to the desert (she also performed here in 2007 and 2005)  for an 8 p.m. concert at the Special Events Center at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino  in Indio.

At 34, Jewel recently released her ninth album, “Perfectly Clear,”  and spent the summer touring with country star Brad Paisley.
While some most performers of her stature enjoy taking lengthy breaks in between tours and albums  Jewel’s lined up what she calls “a series of infrequent solo dates,” mostly at casinos.

“It’s fun to play smaller rooms, and casinos are good for that,”  she said in an early morning phone interview. “I don’t do a set
list. I like to get a feel for where the audience is and play for  them.”

And it may be a while before she comes back this way again.

Married last  August to champion rodeo star Ty Murray, her  boyfriend of nine years, she said she is  planning on taking time  off to start a family in 2010.

Hailed as a folkie on her debut album, “Pieces of You,” “Per fectly Clear” marks her debut in the country genre,  which irks the singer just a bit.

“A lot of my early songs could just as easily been called ‘country,’” she said. "I’ve recorded five of my seven albums in Nashville.  I’m  more comfortable there.”

Jewel's independent streak reared its head early in her career. Rather than take a large signing bonus and owe her soul to a record  label, she chose to take more on the back end — getting her money after the final sales had been tallied.

She had Nothing to lose, she said, because at the time,  she’d already been homeless.

“I wasn’t living in my car because of my ‘art,’” Jewel said adamantly. “I was living in my car because I lost my job when I wouldn’t sleep with my boss and he wouldn’t give me my final paycheck. I didn’t have the money to pay the rent.”

What she did have was a voice,  guitar and  history of performing with her father in her native Alaska. She made the rounds on of  San Diego’s club scene and gained recognition earned a name for herself  with fellow musicians, including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who helped kickstart her career.

“(Singing) was a quick way to make money,” she said.

Because of early struggles in her life, this singer hasn’t forgotten  others.

 Jewel has testified before congress on the plight of homeless  teens and set up a charity, the Project Clean Water, that has in stalled more than 35 fresh water wells around the world.

She has one more charitable act to add to the list: Black Friday.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28), you can go to her Web site  (jeweljk.com) and buy copies of  “Perfectly Clear” for $1, she said.  The dollar will then be donated to the Country Music Hall of  Fame.

“A lot of my fans are having a hard time because of the economy,” she said. “Hopefully, this will help them out, and it gives  me a way to give something back to country music.”