Joan Osborne - Breakfast in Bed

Styles: R&B
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:07
Size: 152,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. I've Got To Use My Imagination
(3:10)  2. Ain't No Sunshine
(4:16)  3. Midnight Train To Georgia
(3:55)  4. Baby's A Butterfly
(3:36)  5. Breakfast In Bed
(5:12)  6. Cream Dream
(4:18)  7. Natural High
(4:27)  8. Heart Of Stone
(3:36)  9. Sara Smile
(4:08) 10. Eliminate The Night
(4:28) 11. Break Up To Make Up
(4:32) 12. I Know What's Goin' On
(4:11) 13. Alone With You
(4:41) 14. Kiss And Say Goodbye
(3:01) 15. Heat Wave
(4:21) 16. What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted

Finally, Joan Osborne has come to her senses and recorded a soul record. Ever since she performed in Standing in the Shadows of Motown  those performances are tacked on here at the end  one thought that Osborne (the most gifted vocalist of her generation and a singer who understands the nuance of phrase, time, and elocution) would return to her own roots as a soul, R&B, and blues singer, the one not often heard by mainstream America but who was evidenced on her first two self-produced recordings on her Womanly Hips label. That didn't happen right away. She recorded the faux-Americana set Pretty Little Stranger, which did not offer listeners her voice but rather her refined restraint on a rather forgettable collection of songs. Even her first attempt at soul covers, 2002's How Sweet It Is, held to very modern production techniques and, despite her ability to make the material shine (check her reading of Thom Bell's "I'll Be Around" or Barrett Strong's "Smiling Faces Sometimes" for proof), the rest of the album imploded on itself. Breakfast in Bed is closer  much closer  but not there. 

Osborne splits the album between soul classics and self-penned tunes in the vernacular of that music. First the good news: she allows her voice some room here, and can get inside the material when she's not intimidated by it. She also sticks closer to the slicker Philly soul side of the fence rather than Stax/Volt or Motown (though she does cover Eddie Hinton's "Breakfast in Bed"). To her credit, she picks tunes that have already been defined by the original artists who recorded them. This is both a plus and minus. She digs deep into Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," and even Blue Lovett's "Kiss and Say Goodbye," and expresses the discipline and quiet power in her voice. Elsewhere, however, on such stalwart monolithic tunes as "Breakfast in Bed" (is anybody ever going to forget Dusty Springfield's version? It's almost holy), "Midnight Train to Georgia," and Charles McCormick's "Natural High," she shies away from deeper emotions, such as the alternatively more desperate, bittersweet, or erotic seductiveness that the aforementioned three tunes call for. In other words, Osborne doesn't go as far as listeners know she can in delivering them. For evidence, check out the abandon and sensual power of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" or the celebratory eroticism in "Heatwave," which she did with the Funk Brothers. Granted, these last two were recorded live, but it's the voice that gets the material across. That said, some of Osborne's originals, such as "Cream Dream" (featuring that Stevie Wonder harmonica line, a B-3 played by Ivan Neville, and Steve Cropper-style guitar by Jack Petruzzelli), with its sultry female backing chorus (her own voice), is as sexy a blue-eyed soul tune as you're likely to hear. 

It's a quiet storm stunner. The beautiful horn weave that introduces her "Heart of Stone," layered with strings, tunnels into the heart and brings up the raw material; in this case she's showing the blood, brokenness, and desperation required by her lyrics. The sweet, mysterious, slightly funky horn section that opens "Eliminate the Night," brings the blues into soul and vice versa. This is a late-night confrontation song. This is a woman, obsessed and hurt, who is trying to find a solution to her dilemma, and both her body and mind twitch against the backbeat. Again, the eros and raw need in the tune are expressed with the full expressive power of Osborne's gift as a singer as well as a writer. The backbone-slippery groove on "I Know What's Goin' On" has the late-night funk despite the canned backbeat. Her voice literally dives into the rhythm section's pocket and comes to the listener unhinged and wise to the fooling around of her lover. Hands on hips, she uses the groove to express the sumptuous sexuality that can only come from her own protagonist's hurt and want: "I'm so angry I could murder/And I'm so lonesome in my mind/I sure wish I didn't love you baby/But you've got me hangin' on your line...." Her own contributions end with "Alone with You," which captures the vibe whole, pure, and simple. 

This is Philly soul that would make Gamble & Huff proud a smooth, hooky love song that floats to the listener. It's the sweetest kind of seduction, where innocence and desire are entwined. The strings play their real part for perhaps the first time on the set, and the rhythm section lets the singer really take the lead, but gives her enough room to stand up tall. What it all means, actually, is that Osborne has developed into a great modern soul songwriter in the grand tradition. But she still needs some help in picking her material, and needs her producer, Tor Hyams, and string arranger, Tim Davies, to get grittier and loosen the reins everything is way too clean and compressed-sounding and doesn't always suit the material here, and there should be more room for surprise and synchronicity between the strings and rhythm section. 

The great Philly soul records kept an element of grit, as did Motown, because of the live feeling their best records always brought out in the grooves, and Stax was built on pure groove and grease. The horns here, which are arranged impeccably by Greg Osby and Gary Schreiner, should be allowed a place higher in the mix to push the singer. Hyams needs to let Osborne's instrument roam a little more freely and dig even farther into the groove and face off against the rhythm section, because her phrasing and sense of time are unstoppable. This is a solid effort, primarily for the surprise of Osborne's excellent songwriting and backing vocal arrangements. She is the most naturally gifted and disciplined singer of her entire generation, and perhaps one of the last real soul singers. She's still not letting her hair down all the way in the studio, but perhaps the time is coming when she can choose a producer who will push and challenge, not restrain her. In the meantime, this is Joan Osborne's best overall recording, and is highly recommended despite its few shortcomings. ~ Thom Jurek   http://www.allmusic.com/album/breakfast-in-bed-mw0000576172

Personnel: Joan Osborne (vocals, background vocals); Joan Osborne; Jack Petruzzelli, Brandon Ross (guitar); Quida Pickle, Melissa Reiner (violin); Cameron Stone (cello); Gary Schreiner (harmonica); Greg Osby (saxophone); Lauren Sevian (baritone saxophone); Peck Allmond (trumpet, trombone); Steve Huffsteter (trumpet); Jock Ellis (trombone); Ivan Neville (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, background vocals); Eddie Bayers (drums); Tor Hyams (programming); Chante Frierson (background vocals).

Breakfast in Bed

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Joan Osborne - Nobody Owns You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:12
Size: 111,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:56) 1. I Should've Danced More
(3:31) 2. Nobody Owns You
(3:44) 3. So Many Airports
(3:38) 4. Woman's Work
(3:40) 5. The Smallest Trees
(4:03) 6. Time of the Gun
(3:40) 7. Dig a Little Ditch
(3:37) 8. Secret Wine
(4:26) 9. Child of God
(4:00) 10. Tower of Joy
(4:16) 11. Lifeline
(4:38) 12. Great American Cities

This new set from the splendid voice of Kentucky-bred Joan Osborne starts with a reflective ballad that’s unadorned, yet because of her fine writing & performance will resonate with many ears. All the things we should’ve done & didn’t. There’s a subject many singer-songwriters seldom tackle with verve & vitality with Joan’s poignancy. Yes, Ms. Osborne’s audience is a little older now but there’s nothing here that younger listeners won’t understand. “I Should’ve Danced More,” is superb. During Ms. Osborne’s recent live concert in NJ, she opened with this new song & immediately captured her audience’s ears with her experienced vocal caress.

Not stopping there “Nobody Owns You,” is another powerful message song specifically for her own daughter. The musicianship while spare is genuine in its atmosphere. It sticks gently in the memory. Joan is one of the few artists I find consistent enough to listen through an entire album. Joan knows where to put the emphasis & finesse. It’s clear just how formidable she is.

The 12-impressions Joan offers on her 47-minute Nobody Owns You (Drops Sept 8–Womanly Hips Records) collection produced by Ben Rice (banjo guitar) are small autobiographical snippets & short stories. Many singer-songwriters in a similar vein don’t always capture this dalliance with the same discipline.

Joan isn’t an MOR/easy listening mainstream pop singer because many of her songs are more based in a folk aesthetic than a pop one. She does possess an identifiable sound & is determined to make every song teach something, say something, or relay a personal experience. She has succeeded.

Joan doesn’t lay out each tune with attitude or pontificating but maintains an entertaining, optimistic forte (“Great American Cities”). Wonderful stuff. The LP is balanced with songs that are uniquely composed & performed. With “Dig a Little Ditch,” Joan seems to channel her inner Tom Waits with intense lyrics & a bluesy melody from the soil of old plantations. Quite affirming & heavy.

While many artists have influences that run through their musical incarnations what’s admirable is that Joan never sounds like she’s emulating anyone. She absorbs her influences & returns it with her own indominable style. The music speaks for itself. One of the year’s best.

This CD is a handsome one wonderful color portraits of Joan in a laminated 4-panel CD package that lacks only one feature her lovely lyrics. This release deserved that bonus.
https://americanahighways.org/2023/09/07/review-joan-osborne-nobody-owns-you/

Nobody Owns You

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Joan Osborne - Love and Hate

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:36
Size: 116,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:43)  1. Where We Start
(2:45)  2. Work On Me
(4:10)  3. Mongrels
(4:35)  4. Train
(3:50)  5. Up All Night
(5:46)  6. Not Too Well Acquainted
(3:37)  7. Thirsty For My Tears
(3:38)  8. Love and Hate
(5:19)  9. Kitten's Got Claws
(4:04) 10. Secret Room
(3:43) 11. Keep It Underground
(2:21) 12. Raga

After nine previous albums that span musical terrains including mainstream pop, blues, throwback soul, rock, and modern country, singer and songwriter Joan Osborne delivers her first formal "song cycle" on Love and Hate. Co-produced once more with Jack Petruzzelli, these songs (all written or co-written by the artist), with their first-person protagonist, traverse the many stages between the poles reflected in the title though thankfully they never quite reach the latter. This record is ultimately a showcase for the songwriter more than it is the singer, one trying to come to grips with mastering this aspect of her craft. In set opener "Where We Start," Osborne is clearly influenced by Van Morrison's trademark weave of jazz and R&B. Its soulful melodic repetition is underscored by a Veedon Fleece-esque string chart, and well-placed use of a Rhodes piano. "Mongrels" and "Kitten's Got Claws" are fine rockers that feature Nels Cline's stinging guitar playing and a female backing chorus that includes Amy Helm, Gail Ann Dorsey, and Catherine Russell, while "Keep It Underground," co-written with Gary Lucas, features the same lineup in a funkier, grittier R&B setting. First single "Thirsty for My Tears" comes close to what passes for contemporary country but much is far less slick. 

"Not Too Well Acquainted" is soulful, jazzy pop that simultaneously recalls Dusty Springfield's kaleidoscopic Philly period and Burt Bacharach's mid'70s era, with gorgeous string and horn charts. Some of these songs falter. The direct melodic quote from Pink Floyd's "Us and Them" in the opening phrase of the title track is the best part of an otherwise mediocre tune. An attempt at lushly orchestrated gospel-tinged soul in "Train" is too limited melodically to overcome its arrangements."Work on Me" and "Secret Room" use Spanish flamenco and fado-inspired frameworks far too lazily to make them work. The tender yet erotic "Raga" places Petruzzelli's banjo and hand percussion (not tablas) in a mix with acoustic guitars, harmonium, and Cline's lap steel. It simultaneously and successfully juxtaposes East Indian and American folk traditions and closes it all on a high note. Lyrically, Osborne misses at times; she can be too obvious with her metaphors, and use age-old clichéd lines from music history or rhymes that feel stretched to fit. 

However, these songs are poignant; they present love's many gradations its victories, difficulties, and failures in a sincere context. Love and Hate is uneven, but is worthwhile for the sheer pleasure and authority in hearing Osborne deliver songs from one of the heart's messiest places. ~ Thom Jurek  https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-and-hate-mw0002627420

Love and Hate

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Joan Osborne - Songs Of Bob Dylan

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 119.7 MB
Styles: Rock-Pop
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. Tangled Up In Blue
[4:05] 2. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
[3:52] 3. Buckets Of Rain
[4:17] 4. Highway 61 Revisited
[4:17] 5. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
[4:24] 6. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
[2:54] 7. Spanish Harlem Incident
[3:59] 8. Dark Eyes
[3:50] 9. High Water (For Charley Patton)
[4:09] 10. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
[4:20] 11. Masters Of War
[3:11] 12. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
[3:13] 13. Ring Them Bells

On Songs of Bob Dylan, Joan Osborne unleashes her sizable gifts as a vocalist and interpreter upon The Bard's celebrated canon. With performances honed by the time Osborne spent polishing them during 'Joan Osborne Sings The Songs Of Bob Dylan' two critically acclaimed two-week residencies she performed at New York City's Café Carlyle in March 2016 and 2017, the seven-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer and songwriter, whom The New York Times has called 'a fiercely intelligent, no-nonsense singer,' winds her supple, soulful voice around Dylan's poetic, evocative lyrics, etching gleaming new facets in them along the way.

Songs Of Bob Dylan

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Joan Osborne - How Sweet It Is

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:59
Size: 121.3 MB
Styles: R&B, Adult Alternative
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. I'll Be Around
[3:37] 2. Think
[4:20] 3. How Sweet It Is
[4:42] 4. Smiling Faces Sometimes
[4:10] 5. Love's In Need Of Love Today
[4:37] 6. These Arms Of Mine
[3:45] 7. Only You And I Know
[5:48] 8. War
[4:59] 9. Why Can't We Live Together
[4:01] 10. Axis Bold As Love
[5:13] 11. The Weight
[3:14] 12. Everybody Is A Star

While 1995's Relish proved Joan Osborne was a smart and idiosyncratic lyricist with a big, strong and soulful voice, the unexpected success of the album (and the single "One Of Us") proved to be as much of a burden as a blessing. Touring kept Osborne out on the road for the next few years, and troubles with her record company prevented her follow-up, Righteous Love, from arriving in stores until 2000, after which it died quickly on the vine (though the album deserved a better fate). As Osborne was blocking out plans for her next album in the fall of 2001, the terrorist attacks of September 11 upended her musical priorities, and for How Sweet It Is, Osborne has indulged herself in the musical equivalent of comfort food by cutting covers of a dozen classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s, with the exception of three reworked rock numbers (Dave Mason's "Only You Know and I Know," the Band's "The Weight," and Jimi Hendrix's "Axis: Bold As Love"). While Osborne devotes herself to vintage material here, for the most part she avoids a retro vibe and, thankfully, avoids the contemporary failing of proving one's soulfulness by bending vocal lines into uncontrollable spasms of melisma. Here, Osborne merges passion with simplicity, while most of the tunes are recast in clean, spare arrangements which capture the classic lines of their melodies without sounding like retreads. And in a season of loss, fear, and mistrust, "Smiling Faces Sometime," "Why Can't We Live Together," and "Love's in Need of Love Today" sound potent and almost painfully relevant in this context, while the bluesy pleasures of "These Arms of Mine" and "I'll Be Around" feel as comforting as a hug and a cup of cocoa. How Sweet It Is is a rare example of an album of covers that doesn't sound like a holding action, and makes clear Joan Osborne is still an artist well worth watching. ~Mark Deming

How Sweet It Is

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