Psych3's Full Review: Righteous Love by Joan Osborne
Five years and a record label have elapsed between Joan Osborne's break-through album, "Relish" and her latest effort, "Righteous Love." I'm still learning to like this one, but it's growing on me, it truly is.
"Relish" splashed. There was immediate recognition, airplay, and critical acclaim when this CD hit the market. In contrast, "Righteous Love" has barely rippled in terms of attention and airplay, though its reviews (the few I've seen) have been unanimously positive. I pay attention to Joan Osborne since I heard "Relish." For example, I usually like the Chieftans anyway, but what tipped me toward buying their multi-artist collaboration, "Tears of Stone," was Osborne's contribution, "Raglan Road." Imagine my surprise when I realized Osborne had released something new and it took me almost three months to figure it out.
"Righteous Love" is easy to recommend for its sharp and knowing lyricism. What's missing, however, is the pointed end of the stick Osborne kept poking at her listeners in "Relish." The contrast shows in the photos she chose for her cover art: wild-haired pictures of Osborne amid Monty Python-esque cut-outs and drawings on "Relish," vs. the slinky fashion model Joan that graces "Righteous Love." The musical contrasts are similar. Where "Relish" takes an emotional and sometimes nerve-wracking ride through the lives of everyone from God to a strung-out junkie, "Righteous Love" takes its foot off the accelerator and makes sure everyone has their seatbelt on. There are still some great lines in "Righteous Love" ("If I die before you do, believe me I'll be haunting you." -- "Poison Apples"), and some great songs: "Safety In Numbers," "If I Was Your Man" (um, Joan, gender check), and "Poison Apples." Really, the only clunker is Osborne's uninspired remake of Gary Wright's totally pedestrian "Love Is Alive."
I am biased. I think "Relish" is heads and shoulders above most of everything that's been released in about the past ten years. But how can an honest review of "Righteous Love" not evoke comparisons to "Relish?" For me, it's the emotional content that really separates these two works. Throughout "Righteous Love" Osborne's vocal chords never strain, and, ultimately, neither do the emotions depicted therein.
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