​Joan Osborne (from the album Radio Waves on Womanly Hips/

​Joan Osborne (from the album Radio Waves on Womanly Hips/MRi Entertainment) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
It’s inevitable that Joan Osborne will always be known for one tune in particular — “One of Us” — a song that tried to define God in human terms by questioning His (or Her) humanity. Nevertheless, with a 25-year career under her belt, the extent of her accomplishments far eclipses any single song. Consequently, she has a treasure trove of radio appearances, demos and unreleased recordings that were well worth a second look when it came time to compile a rarities release.
 
That was the effort Osborne undertook on while forced into confinement during the pandemic. She scoured her archives, focusing mainly on live radio appearances that found her mostly performing other people’s songs. The results evolved into Radio Waves, now an ideal showcase for Osborne’s interpretive skills. To be sure, she didn’t negate her own originals —  an unadorned version of “One of Us”, a rousing remake of “Shake Your Hips”, and a mostly stripped  down revisit to “Little Wild One”, are drawn from her back catalog and effectively affirm her own imprint.
 
That said, it’s her reverence and respect for others that takes center stage. Her take on “Dream a Little Dream”, “My Love Is Alive”, “Only You Know and I Know”, and “Love’s in Need of Love” are faithfully rendered with little change from the initial templates. The most obvious exception comes with the tenacious treatment she affords “How Sweet It Is”, a song that has its contentment and contemplation overridden by an edgy intransigence. On the other hand, her version of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” strips down the sentiment and adds a tender touch only implied in the original.

Albums that troll the standards can be interpreted in different ways — as a stopgap measure, an indication that the artist involved is dealing with writer’s block, or as an effort to revel in the roots. Whatever the case, Joan Osborne’s affection for the music is never in doubt. (By Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Joan Osborne from AMAZON
 
Please visit the Joan Osborne website for more information

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