Joan Osborne

On her riveting major-label debut, Joan Osborne astutely conflates the sacred and the
profane, and over inventive alterna-cool arrangements (mandolin, sax, swaggering guitar)
lets her strong, bluesy vocals rip. Co-written mostly with guitarist Eric Bazilian, her material
is sharp and deep – "St. Teresa" elevates a streetwalker's struggle into Beat-poetry prayer;
"One of Us" imagines a God as hurt as any human; "Ladder" hints at a post-mod Ar... More >