Record Review: Joan Osborne, Bring It on Home

Joan Osborne

Bring It On Home (Saguaro Road)

Rating: [8/10]

One of music’s most soulful singers, the idea of Joan Osborne cutting an album of all-blues covers isn’t that far-fetched given that she’s worked with The Holmes Brothers and counts Ray Charles and Etta James among her influences. And while typical names like Willie Dixon and John Mayall pop up, most of the artists the Kentucky native pays homage to are more of the rhythm and blues persuasion. As usual, Osborne does a bang-up job in picking an intriguing array of artists to cover. They range from roof raising stompers (Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips”) and come hither entreaties (Muddy Waters’ “I Want to Be Loved”) to peppy Crescent City pop gems (Allen Toussaint’s “Shoorah Shoorah”) and blistering obscure sides (Olive Brown’s “Roll Like a Big Wheel”). Throw in covers of Bill Withers, Otis Redding and Ike Turner and you have yet another outing that lives up to the high creative standards that Osborne has maintained throughout her career.  Tuesday, 3.27. Also 3.28. Joan Osborne Album Release @ City Winery —Dave Gil de Rubio