Joan Osborne
By Chris Wheatley
A mouth-watering release Radio Waves drops this February 22nd in the form of a thirteen-track album of unearthed live-in-studio radio recordings from Joan Osborne, hand-picked from one-hundred-plus appearances, released via her imprint Womanly Hips Records. Following the release of her 2020 critically acclaimed Trouble and Strife, Osborne was forced to cancel her tour and spent lockdown visiting back burner projects. The result is the glorious Radio Waves.
Can it really be twenty-five years since the celebrated singer filled the air-waves with her world-wide hit, “One of Us”? That single, taken from this eight-time Grammy nominee’s 1995 debut album Relish, marked the beginning of an astonishing journey for the woman described as “the most gifted vocalist of her generation.” It would be hard to disagree with that statement, and you can add to it that over the course of a career that has seen Osborne perform with Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples and even Luciano Pavarotti, the singer has proven adept at combining the blues with elements of rock, soul, gospel, funk and country, producing work that hits the sweet spot between critical and commercial success.
“Saint Teresa” starts this virtual show. The first thing that strikes you is the power that the assembled players possess. The track unfurls with a curious and compelling vibe picked out on acoustic guitar, hand-percussion and mandolin, pitched somewhere between traditional American country and Middle Eastern sounds. The second striking element, of course, is Osborne’s wonderful voice. She soars and glides effortlessly, but much of Osborne’s appeal lies in the emotion which inhabits every syllable. This is a singer you believe in, one who seems to take every note into her heart and bleed her soul out into it.
Follower, “My Love Is Alive,” shows the width of material on this set. This is a straight-out blues-rocker which struts and swaggers, all leather and dark-city nights. Osborne is clearly having a blast here, and that slight raspy edge to her voice injects the song with vibrant urgency. As with all these tracks, the live sound adds a splendid energy and sense of spontaneity. We’re back to Americana with “How Sweet It Is,” a broiling outlaw-country number. Listen to the opening bars, with just Osborne and strummed guitar, for the perfect example of just how good this singer is. Hers is a unique voice, equally smooth and powerful, and packed full of pathos.
It’s worth taking a moment to consider that, if it weren’t for the recent lock-downs, we might have waited a long time to hear this collection. “Most of my life’s work has disappeared without a trace,” says Osborne, “the vast majority of the songs I’ve sung hundreds and thousands of times over decades of touring across the globe, have never been recorded.” Perhaps it was this sentiment, together with a rare lull in her work-schedule, which led the singer to rifle through the contents of “old, dusty shoeboxes,” during the course of which she unearthed these tapes.
This is indeed the proverbial treasure-trove. Fans of Osborne are going to be delighted by these cuts, which range from Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today” and Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” to Bill Withers’ “Same Love That Made Me Laugh.” For those not already onboard the Osborne train, this would be a great place to embark. Performing live marks the true measure of a musician. Osborne and her band make everything sound first-class, but the production also brings out that thrilling live feel, enabling the listener to experience the pleasure of a virtual concert which is intimate, moving and fun.
Watch “Real Love”
Pre-order link for Radio Waves
Joan Osborne website
Can’t WAIT for this one to come out! It’s such a shame to hear Joan admit that “most of my life’s work has disappeared without a trace – the vast majority of the songs I’ve sung hundreds and thousands of times over decades of touring across the globe, have never been recorded.” It’s a real shame for fans like me too! For the ones that only remember “One Of Us”, I feel sorry for you! Joan has such sweet soul that comes out through her music like few other women can muster, while she is all too humble about it. Her voice has an unmistakable sincerity to it. I’d give ANYTHING for her and Jackie Green to get together again to make some more of the kind of musical magic that happened with them and the rest of the boys on Trigger Hippie’s debut album that came out in 2014 – OMG! This upcoming release of Joan’s own material sounds like a real treat that will have to suffice in the meantime, but that’s not gonna stop me from licking my chops in anticipation of a dream…