Jem Returns with Down to Earth

After more than four years, eclectic Welsh artist Jem returns with a follow-up to her sleeper hit debut album, Finally Woken. The new album, entitled Down to Earth, is slated for a September 16 release.

Jem had been spending time working behind-the-scenes, sharing songwriting credit on a track off Madonna's American Life album called "Nothing Fails," and releasing an EP, before finally releasing her full-length debut on Dave Matthews' ATO Records. While only peaking at number 197 on Billboard's Top 200, the album has since sold 321,000 copies in the United States as of May 29, 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan. An impressive number for an indie release. While U.S. singles "They," "Just A Ride," and "24" didn't make significant impressions on the charts, they were--along with other album tracks--featured all over popular television shows like Grey's Anatomy. "They" was the title theme of The X Effect and is--according to a friend of mine--popular at fashion shows.

So even without strong radio support, Finally Woken managed to be a slow burner, steadily amassing sales gained through its songs being heard elsewhere. And I think it's safe to say that word of mouth helped out too, considering the strength the album and the good press surrounding it. It was ranked number 10 on Associated Press's Top 10 Albums of 2004, as well as being hailed "life-enhancing as popular music should be" by Q Magazine.

But where Jem really broke through was in her native U.K., which was a little bit of a surprise considering that she had to come to the U.S. to secure a record deal before releasing the album in her home. Lead single--now equipped with a sexier video (Jem stripping in space)--debuted at number 6 on the U.K. Top 40, landing Finally Woken in the Top 10. Follow-ups "Just A Ride" and "Wish I" landed at 16 and 24 respectively, followed by the album's platinum certification.

After contributing a new song, "Once in Every Lifetime," to the Eragon soundtrack in 2006, she's now back with Down to Earth's first single "It's Amazing--which was featured on the Sex and the City soundtrack. A beautiful song it is, but don't expect Jem to make significant sales strides with this single.

Hopefully she has a few more hit singles up her sleeve this time around, as she collaborated with higher profile names Jeff Bass and Lester Mendez. She even sings in Japanese on the track, "Aciiid!" and collaborated with South African singer and activist Vusi Mahlasela on a track called "You Will Make It."

Enjoy the ride.