Review: Joan Osborne digs into her archives on '~Radio Waves'

'œRadio Waves,'ť Joan Osborne (Womanly Hips Records)

Homebound during the pandemic, Joan Osborne began combing through dusty shoeboxes in her closets, and what she found was still fashionable, because good music never goes out of style.

The boxes contained recordings of at least 100 in-studio radio performances by Osborne dating back as far as the 1990s, and she chose some of the best for 'œRadio Waves,'ť a stellar collection of 13 tunes notable for its variety.

Osborne has always been an astute interpreter, and her soulful, smoky alto is a compelling instrument whether she's singing the blues ('œShake Your Hips'ť), R&B ('œEverybody Is a Star'ť), Dylan ('œMake You Feel My Love'ť) or the Great American Songbook ('œDream a Little Dream'ť).

With instrumental accompaniment ranging from an acoustic guitar to a full rock band, Osborne is creative in reimagining familiar tunes. On the Motown standard 'œHow Sweet It Is,'ť she extracts the sugar by recasting both the rhythm and melody, and the result is something more sensual. A stripped-down version of her unlikely hit 'œOne of Us'ť more directly conveys the wonder of grace in the commonplace, while Gary Wright's 1970s hit 'œMy Love Is Alive'ť becomes improbably funky.

Osborne strikes moods suitable for every broadcast shift, from sunrise to signoff, and seems to know it.

'œGood morn or evening, friends. Here's your friendly announcer,'ť she sings to begin Stevie Wonder's 'œLove's in Need of Love Today,'ť a tune with a message worth transmitting 24 hours a day.

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