This record mostly grates on me. Often Osborne is pushing and straining her voice, which is good for expression when used moderately, but a lot of the songs plug along at the same intensity for 5 minutes, and it is just tiring, even on a pretty good song like Right Hand Man.

Lumina is also probably a fine song, but it sounds like a demo, with a poorly recorded vocal and a lone unadorned electric guitar. This composition never has a chance to get off the ground.

Let's Just Get Naked also seems like it could be a fine song. Joan affects a different character in this vocal, evoking a ditzy, drugged-out groupie type of girl. But the tempo is too slow, the dynamics never change much, and the whole mess grinds on for five minutes without anything to break the monotony.

Man In The Long Black Coat is one of the few classic Dylan compositions of the last 20 or 30 years. Joan's version doesn't even begin to touch the creepiness of the original. Pointless.

The song that drew most people to this album, One of Us, is really a very amusing song, and raises some interesting questions. As the theme song to TV's Joan of Arcadia, I didn't even know Joan Osborne sang it -- she sings so sweetly, with none of the strain and grit in her voice that she so often uses. She sings it sweetly on this album version too. Obviously much care was taken in production to get this signature tune just right. I like it.

This record shows potential, but her album Righteous Love was a greater success musically. The song Running Out Of Time from the Righteous Love CD is more exciting than anything on Relish. There is enough material here for a decent EP, but it could have been so much more. There isn't enough for a main course, just some relish on the side.
This record mostly grates on me. Often Osborne is pushing and straining her voice, which is good for expression when used moderately, but a lot of the songs plug along at the same intensity for 5 minutes, and it is just tiring, even on a pretty good song like Right Hand Man. Lumina is also probably a fine song, but it sounds like a demo, with a poorly recorded vocal and a lone unadorned electric guitar. This composition never has a chance to get off the ground. Let's Just Get Naked also seems like it could be a fine song. Joan affects a different character in this vocal, evoking a ditzy, drugged-out groupie type of girl. But the tempo is too slow, the dynamics never change much, and the whole mess grinds on for five minutes without anything to break the monotony. Man In The Long Black Coat is one of the few classic Dylan compositions of the last 20 or 30 years. Joan's version doesn't even begin to touch the creepiness of the original. Pointless. The song that drew most people to this album, One of Us, is really a very amusing song, and raises some interesting questions. As the theme song to TV's Joan of Arcadia, I didn't even know Joan Osborne sang it -- she sings so sweetly, with none of the strain and grit in her voice that she so often uses. She sings it sweetly on this album version too. Obviously much care was taken in production to get this signature tune just right. I like it. This record shows potential, but her album Righteous Love was a greater success musically. The song Running Out Of Time from the Righteous Love CD is more exciting than anything on Relish. There is enough material here for a decent EP, but it could have been so much more. There isn't enough for a main course, just some relish on the side.