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Bottom Line:

With a voice like stardust and a rich, smoky delivery, Joan Osborne delivers in a throaty, alt- country torchsong style that makes some of those gals at the top of the mainstream crop sound like amateurs. Her newest disc, Pretty Little Stranger, is an extraordinary disc, moreso because she came to Nashville to make it - and this is the kind of music that Rosanne Cash had to LEAVE Nashville to make.


When I first listened to this disc, I was struck immediately by a similarity to Rosanne Cash - not so much in voice, but in style and approach, so I wasn't surprised to find that others have made that same comparison. What is remarkable is that this is a country album of the sort that Nashville just has not been making for some time. The lush beauty of it, the clear alternative sounds, the hint-and-trace of Patsy-Cline-style tradition, it just can't usually be found in the Nashville setting. Of course, once I finished listening to the disc and read through the credits, I saw the reasons for this - these are the Nashville producers, song makers, and musicians who aren't in the mainstream themselves. They're still making the real country music on 16th Avenue but not getting played so much on the radio themselves anymore. Appearing with Joan on this disc are the likes of Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Sonny Landreth, Vince Gill, and Rodney Crowell (who sings harmony vocals on his composition, "When the Blue Hour Comes" ).

She's produced by Steve Buckingham (who's worked both with Americana and mainstream artists, from Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt to Shania Twain) , who also plays several instruments, and is joined by the likes of Steve Gibson, John Hobbs, Michael Rhodes, and Eddie Bayers - just to name a few. While the album isn't overtly country, it remains traditional in the clear "countrypolitan" sense - most certainly it's an Americana album, as it retains a powerful roots feeling, never once edging into anything even remotely resembling the 80's pop sound that's so widespread on "country" radio today. Osborne writes most of her own songs, although in addition to the Rodney Crowell composition, she also tackles Kris Kristofferson's "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends," and the Jerry Garcia/Robert Humes classic, "Brokedown Palace." The Kristofferson track pretty much sounds exactly like Golden Age Nashville, the sweet tinkle of piano (Gordon Moat) with gentle steel guitar (Paul Franklin).

Song List:

1. Pretty Little Stranger
2. Brokedown Palace
3. Who Divided
4. Holy Waters
5. What You Are
6. Shake The Devil
7. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends
8. Time Won't Tell
9. Dead Roses
10. After Jane
11. 'Til I Get It Right
12. When The Blue Hour Comes