Joan Osborne Coming Soon to the Fairfield Theatre Company (Video)

By Sam Carlson (Open Post)

Long before the world took note of Joan Osborne, she’d been building a solid following as a committed blues singer. Her turn toward pop music was a brief detour in a career that’s brought out the best in the blues.

One listen to her take on John Mayall’s “Broken Wings” is all the evidence needed to explain her ear and her understanding of the deep blues. Overall, Joan Osborne can easily take her place alongside her inspirations Etta James and Tina Turner in the league of powerful, electrifying singers of blues, soul, and R&B.

With her latest, Bring It On Home, Osborne heads directly into the Blues/R&B camp with predictably great results, from the opening swing of Ray Charles’ version of “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and a blistering spin through “Roll Like a Big Wheel” from obscure Blues shaker Olive Brown to a down and dirty take on James Moore’s iconic “Shake Your Hips” (nailed by the Stones on Exile on Main Street) and a shivering R&B tailfeather shake of Clarence Carter’s “I’m Qualified.”

This album finds Osborne at the peak of her abilities.

For ticket information, click here.