PRETTY LITTLE STRANGER - JOAN OSBORNE
While a far cry from Joan Osborne’s breakthrough, the delectable “Relish,” recorded more than a decade ago, “Pretty Little Stranger” sets the singer in Nashville, where she soulfully transplants her roots music into fertile country soil. At times, producer Steve Buckingham gives the sessions a classic feel, a la Owen Bradley’s signature steel guitar shadings and bright piano tinkles, on such sumptuous readings of Kris Kristofferson’s “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends” and Beth Nielsen Chapman’s “Time Won’t Tell.” But Osborne breaks out of the Patsy Cline mode with folk-inflected tunes and more contemporary country fare like the lyrical title track. Split down the middle between covers and originals, the CD’s best tracks come from Osborne’s portfolio, including the sweetly swaying “Holy Waters,” the skipping “Shake That Devil” and the funky “Dead Roses.” Billboard
