By
Graig Uhlin
Grade: B+
There is always talk in a review like this of the "sophomore slump" - whether a triple-platinum, six-time Grammy nominated debut album by an artist was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon; a product of being in the right place or the right time or just the beginning of a true musician with staying power. We should not, however, even trivialize a discussion of Joan Osborne - the aforementioned artist - with such talk of a slump.
Ever since 1995's Relish, Osborne's folksy, impassioned music communicates nothing if not staying power. Her new album, Righteous Love, a more extensively produced outing than her last, simply cements that status. The album resonates with the same tenacity of spirit and bold, soulful rendering - the years gone by have not diminished her passion.
Yet the same maturation that has allowed Osborne to produce a more well-rounded, fully-fleshed album with a richer musical orchestration has also hindered her work. Relish-era Osborne was a raw force of music - her vocals wavered and circled over themselves, giving her an enviable harder edge that fellow acts like Jewel and Alanis Morissette could only watch from the sidelines. Righteous Love presents a new Osborne, where the minor imperfections - nay, idiosyncrasies - are smoothed over, velveted by a stepped-up production effort. In this manner, Osborne has seemingly become divorced from her folk roots, maintaining only a small yet still noticeable thread of folk/blues sentiment in favor of a more bawdy set of rock tracks.
The album as a whole, though, is a singular accomplishment - a stunning union of Osborne's folksy croonings with bluesy and ballsy orchestration. Relish fans need not be disappointed, but rather delighted that this artist has given them something new to discover.
