"Seven years after rebooting her career with the vaguely back-to-basics Picking Up the Pieces, Jewel declares she's a Freewheelin' Woman, making an ebullient, eclectic album to match. Although the record does have a couple of quieter, reflective moments reminiscent of her folky beginnings, Freewheelin' Woman is anchored in soul and stretches out toward pop, moving quickly through all the byways separating the styles ... It's a bright, cheerful bit of self-empowerment that is as infectious as it is positive".