Joan Osborne - How Sweet It Is

With the proliferation of earthy rock chicks such as Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch, it might seem like an opportune time for Joan Osborne, who gathered Grammy nominations for her triple-platinum 1995 debut Relish and its breakthrough single "One of Us," to revive her flowing blues-and-folk roots. Rather than take the anticipated path, however, he New York singer offers a twist. Taking a page from Ally McBeal's resident torch singer Vonda Shepard, Osborne turns in an album of stylish covers of contemporary R&B classics. She wraps her husky voice around a supper-club version of Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine," underscores the message behind Edwin Starr's "War" at a funeral pace, and gives James Taylor a shudder with her lush, Eastern-tinged take on Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is." Most unexpected. --Aidin Vaziri Amazon.com

dreck

Now I love Joan, she can sing like a ringing a bell, but this album stinks. It's one thing to perform your take on a classic song, but these tracks are producer updated with fake drums and other instrumentation that doesn't fit the legacy of these songs. NG for no good. June 7, 2007

not a bad cover in the bunch

Some people like cover tunes, other don't. For me, a cover tune is great when the new artist puts a unique spin on the orginal "classic". Given that, I say that this disk is a top-ten favorite in a very large CD collection. Joan molds each of these songs into her own, yet the quality of the orginal "hit" is still to be found. I wish more artists would focus on re-doing some of the excellent songs that are already out there, rather than feeling like they should penning original tunes (most of which are average or below). BUY THIS CD! January 5, 2007

Can't Get Enough of Joan

It's difficult to write a review of Joan's work because I'm rather biased about this woman. You see, the sound of her voice weakens my knees and causes me to smile uncontrollably. I could listen to Joan sing the phone book and still be be reduced to weak-kneed smiling fool. What a voice! What an artist! November 15, 2005

favorite album to get me moving!

I find it impossible to believe that this album is getting any poor reviews. I play this in the car, and can't keep from dancing in my seat! I play it when I'm down and need a lift. Great arrangements, and her version of "War-What Is It Good For," should be playing on every radio station in the country. July 2, 2005

Like a good hotel lounge singer

I recently bought this CD after hearing (and liking) "I'll Be Around" on the radio. I was impressed by Osborne's earthy vocal style on her "Relish" CD a few years back, so I figured an album of classic soul covers by her might be pretty good. Sad to say, I found this CD somewhat disappointing overall.

To my ears, Osborne's delivery on this CD sounds like that of a good hotel lounge singer--technically competent but emotionally superficial. Too often, she sounds like she is coming from outside the songs (i.e., performing them), rather than from inside (i.e., living them). The worst examples are "Think" (delivered in a passionless rapid-fire monotone) and "The Weight" (delivered awkwardly, as if she doesn't even understand, much less feel, the lyrics).

To Osborne's credit, she gives several of the tunes new readings that give fresh life to the material. She slows down "How Sweet It Is" and gives it a touching plaintive quality. Her pop song reading of Jimi Hendrix's trippy "Axis: Bold As Love" is totally unexpected and amusing. Her Bill-Murray-lounge-lizard reading of the Vietnam-era anti-war song "War" is so surreally campy that it forces you to pay attention to the words.

There are several solid covers here, including "I'll Be Around," "Smiling Faces," and "Why Can't We Live Together." However, "These Arms of Mine" probably best captures both the strengths and weaknesses of this CD. The opening verses are gorgeous, with Osborne's soft, aching vocal commanding your attention over a spare musical background. But when the song gets to the bridge, which demands that the vocalist build to a big emotional climax, Osborne fails to deliver. She never lets herself go, and the song just peters out.

I notice a number of prior reviewers rave about Osborne's "soulful" vocals here, and I have no doubt that these people are sincere. I think it boils down to a matter of taste and cultural background. If you like music with the rough edges sanded off, Osborne's interpretations may help you appreciate some classic soul songs you would otherwise ignore. If, however, you are a serious fan of R&B, you will likely find this a pale imitation of the real thing. April 16, 2005

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