BREAKFAST IN BED - JOAN OSBORNE
For a powerful singer like Osborne, having “One of Us” be your one career hit must really stink. The 1995 single placed her squarely in the bland, folky Lilith Fair category. She’s tried to correct that perception since then, ably covering Aretha Franklin, touring with
Phil Lesh and performing in the award-winning documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” A VP at Time Life caught her virtuoso version of “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” in the film and signed her to record “Breakfast in Bed,” a combo of originals and similarly top-tier covers. The beauty of the album, though, is its small scope. Osborne tackles titles like “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia” with sparse accompaniment, slower tempos and schmaltz-free readings, using the inherent pathos of her voice to maximum yet subdued effect.
