4.9

Joan Osborne: Bring It on Home

Music Reviews Joan Osborne
Joan Osborne: Bring It on Home

For her seventh album, Kentucky-born singer-songwriter Joan Osborne returns to her roots—the soul, blues and R&B she sang while coming up in New York. But perhaps she shouldn’t have waited so long. Featuring covers of songs from the likes of Ike and Tina Turner and Muddy Waters, Bring It on Home sounds less like the recordings of a woman throwing herself into the music that moves her than those of a tired artist running out of ideas. Osborne’s voice has always outshined her songwriting chops, but on this record, it sounds decidedly on the wane, especially on tracks like “Shake Your Hips” and “Champagne and Wine.” Without the power and finesse she exhibited on earlier recordings, Osborne lacks the tools to make these old classics sound fresh again.

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