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“Though I loved Yamagata’s music before and certainly after the show, I was mostly excited to see Joan Osborne. I’ve been a fan of Osborne since her debut Relish was first released, and I saw her perform at Mountain Stage years ago when she was promoting her How Sweet It Is album. I remembered Joan’s appearance and performance then as being funky, sexy, and vocally powerful. So it was a bit of a shock when she stepped on stage last night dressed as a school marm – high lace color, long floral print skirt. I only mention it because it was apparently symptomatic of her entire persona mellowing out over the years. Granted, she began with my least favorite song on Little Wild One (“Rodeo”) followed by an even lower key version of the album’s title track. So it may have merely been a matter of song choice or at least my own preconceptions of those particular songs. It just seemed like the spark had gone out of her or something. That is, until she hit the chorus of “Halllelujah In The City” and finally unleashed her voice. Then I finally heard and saw the Joan I knew and loved.

By the time she covered Jump Little Children’s “Cathedrals”, all was right with the Osborne world. In my review of Joan’s album, I said “I hope I get to hear Joan sing this one live someday, because I can only imagine how much more powerful her voice will be without so much production smoothing it down.” I was absolutely right. When singing “Cathedrals” in person, Joan’s voice was gorgeous, emotive, and supernaturally strong. It was by far the best performance of the night, and what I’ll remember most about the concert. She ended with a rousing rendition of “Bury Me On The Battery”, followed by an encore of “To The One I Love”.

Original Article

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She’d fallen through the railing of the back stairs landing to the concrete below. Horrible doesn’t begin to capture the scene, and her death several days later tore at my soul. The loss her family must feel is simply unimaginable.

Life is so tenuous, hanging by a gossamer thread. You’re here, and then you’re gone.”

Chicago Sun Times Article

Read about it at CBS.com

Joan Osborne completed an acclaimed national tour recently, performing songs from her new album ‘Little Wild One’ to a standing room only audience in New York. Osborne’s new album and tour have drawn recent raves from around the country.

Praise from the road:

“Good taste, passion, and ability collided for one rousing evening.”
– Sarah Rodman, BOSTON GLOBE

“Osborne is a versatile, expressive singer, and songs from her new album, ‘Little Wild One,’ allow her to exhibit her range. – Rege Behe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW

“Terrifically gutsy” – Eric Alterman, MSNBC.com

Praise for ‘Little Wild One’:

“A winning album that celebrates the sacred in the city. Her rich vocals, pitched between church soprano and downtown contralto, soar. FOUR STARS.” – Steve Dougherty, PEOPLE MAGAZINE

” After many wanderings, including a stint with the Grateful Dead, Ms. Osborne has collaborated again with the songwriting and production team from her multimillion-selling 1995 album ‘Relish.’ Their new songs on ‘Little Wild One’ gleam with guitars and mandolin as Ms. Osborne pours her voice into lyrics about love, longing and New York City.” – Jon Pareles, NEW YORK TIMES

“Osborne sounds beguilingly haunted.” – Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY

“Full-blooded singing and deep roots-music grooves.” – Mikael Wood, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Joan still has a voice that can break your heart with ease, or lift your spirits high. She’s that good. It helps that the new material, mostly co-writes with a combination of Hyman / Bazilian / Chertoff, is straight out of the top drawer.”

“With songs and arrangements rich in nuances, emotion and passion, it’s one to savour, and probably my album of the year so far.”

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Read the rest at Blogcritics here

Original article

“While Relish seemed to be a product of the period it was made in, Little Wild One seems to be an album made for Joan. The slower-paced, bluesy tone fits her image as a singer who has grown more mature and gotten in touch with what she enjoys as a performer.”

Original Fanbolt.com Article

Portland Show

Original Glide Magazine Article

Popyoularity

Music Box