Grammy award winning producer Steve Buckingham (Dolly Parton) produced Pretty Little Stranger, with harmony support from Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and Rodney Crowell. Osborne gives equal time to originals and covers with six of each. One thing I did not notice straight away was Joan’s similarity to Bonnie Raitt on some songs, which really is no revelation to people familiar with her as she has worked with Raitt before in the past. Bonnie is one of my favorites so for me this was a pleasant surprise upon first listen.

The production and musicianship on this recording is nothing short of impeccable. Every time I heard this CD, I warmed up to it more. Its five spins and counting so far, with many more to come I am sure. Joan says that this is her country album; however, there is lot more to it than that. Rudiments of blues, rock, and Americana find their way into the mix throughout the 12 tracks. There is not a question in my mind that this is one of the strongest albums of the year. I would say there were around 15 titles in 2006 that I would put into the upper echelon of favorite listening experiences so that is few and far between considering how many I have heard this year.

The title track is an awesome way to kick off the proceedings with Joan sounding her down to earth bluesy best and there is so much more to come after that grand opening. The new radio single “Who Divided” is one of the catchiest tunes on the album, and it is a sure bet for a big crossover hit. I found myself singing along to this every time I heard it. The way the lyrics come flowing out, it would be difficult for any performer to do well. Osborne owns it and this phrase was the clincher every time for me:

Who divided up the days into hours?
The hours into minutes?
How could they really be that smart?
Who divided up the minutes into seconds?
They must’ve had a broken heart.

They are brilliant lyrics indeed and they come across with passion and meaning with each instance. Another outstanding track is a Jerry Garcia song “Brokedown Palace.” Osborne has worked with the Grateful Dead in the past so it comes as no surprise that she does such a heartfelt rendition of the track.

This is a “grow on you album” and its hypnotic powers increase with each listen. I liked it when I first heard it and by the time, I gave a spin for the third time I loved it and could not get enough. Some albums just strike me that way and Ms.Osborne got me hooked without too much effort.

01. Pretty Little Stranger (4:23)
02. Brokedown Palace (4:01)
03. Who Divided (4:15)
04. Holy Waters (4:03)
05. What You Are (5:51)
06. Shake That Devil (4:27)
07. Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends (4:01)
08. Time Won't Tell (4:19)
09. Dead Roses (3:48)
10. After Jane (5:03)
11. Till I Get It Right (3:53)
12. When the Blue Hour Comes (3:00)

Artist: Joan Osborne
Title: Pretty Little Stranger
Genre: Country-Americana
Label: Vanguard Records
Website
Amazon Link

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

Recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy winner, Steve Buckingham, “Pretty Little Stranger” highlights the soulful sound of Joan Osborne with elements of country blues and Americana. This 12 song collection features six original tunes written by Joan including the first single, “Who Divided”, “Shake That Devil”, “After Jane” and the title track and also compositions by Kris Kristofferson (“Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends”), Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter (“Brokedown Palace”) and Patty Griffin (“What You Are”).

Joan stated, “I would call this my version of a country record -- some of it very traditional, some less so. It tells feelings and stories in very simple language, and I wanted to focus on that simple way of communicating, rather than be flowery and poetic. I needed to get down to the bare bones and I feel like we did a good job of doing that.”

“Pretty Little Stranger” features some of music’s finest performers lending their talents including Vince Gill on “Time Won’t Tell,” Alison Krauss, “Holy Waters”, Sonny Landreth playing slide guitar on “Dead Roses” and Rodney Crowell providing harmony vocals on his own “When The Blue Hour Comes.”

Joan Osborne had one of the biggest releases of the mid-90’s with “Relish” and participated in the historic and successful Lilith Fair Tour. She has worked with a myriad of artists like Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, The Chieftains and Bonnie Raitt. She toured with The Dead in the summer of 2004 and recently finished a tour with Phil Lesh & Friends.

Contact: Chip Schutzman
Company: Miles High Productions
Address: 6622 Delongpre Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel: 323-806-0400
Fax: 323-462-0829
Email
Website
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PR Author Vanguard Records & Distributed By MuzikReviews.com For Miles High Productions