One of Us
Joan Osborne'sOne of Usis billed as a career retrospective by one of the more impressive, if now largely forgotten soul/rock (and folk) stars of the ‘90s. Unfortunately,One of Usdoes not live up to expectations.  Not quite as retrospective as advertised, this album is simply a repackaging of most of the tracks on 2002'sHow Sweet it Is, with a few seminal tracks (such as her explosive hit title song) thrown in where other songs are deleted. There is much, however, to appreciate and listen to with new ears. The 1995 title track remains thought-provoking and musically engaging, as does "Right Hand Man," Osborne’s killer song of sexual afterglow with its provocative 'panties' line. And if she went out on a big limb in attempting to cover Aretha Franklin’s "Think," she succeeds beautifully in recasting other soul classics. Otis Redding’s "These Arms of Mine" becomes an even franker declaration of naked want. By bending the melody away from an upbeat cry of exuberant joy to a slower burn of redemptive gratitude (with accents of Eastern music, yet), she almost totally remakes the Marvin Gaye/James Taylor hit "How Sweet it Is."--Alanna Nash