Joan Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian song “One of Us”. She has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown. (More from Wikipedia)
Joan Osborne’s major-label debut album Relish was an instant favorite of mine when it was released in 1995, and the album has an amazing array of moods. Despite curve balls like “Let’s Just Get Naked” that celebrate a playful sexuality, most songs have a spiritual bent, from the haunting, infectious “St. Teresa”, to a fairly obscure Bob Dylan song, “Man in the Long Black Coat”.
Among other things, the hit song from the Joan Osborne album, “One of Us” turns the notion of man being created in God’s image on its head: “What if God was one of us? / Just a slob like one of us / Just a stranger on the bus / Tryin’ to make his way home?”. The singer then asks: “If God had a name, what would it be? / And would you call it to his face, / If you were faced with Him in all His glory? / What would you ask if you had just one question?”
Writing for Allmusic, Roch Parisien says of this Joan Osborne song: “Key track ‘One of Us’ sets the disc’s optimistic tone. It’s a simple, direct statement of faith, honest and unadorned, one framed in a near-perfect chorus and delectable Neil Young-ish guitar riff. This isn’t one of those sugary, superficial, goody-two-shoes Amy Grant kind of deals.”
The album name Relish sums up Joan Osborne’s views on life in general; here is Roch Parisien’s take on the album as a whole: “Grounded in blues, soul and gospel, the Kentucky native wields her gritty voice with personality and forceful presence, kind of Melissa Etheridge meets Sophie B. Hawkins with a splash of Jann Arden. Osborne’s passion for life oozes from the grooves. There’s an uplifting fervor to her material and delivery, as if every second, every note was being individually savored.”
(November 2014)
