Joan Osborne

By following her Nashville record, Pretty Little Stranger, with a set of tunes that recalls 2002's soul LP, How Sweet It Is, Osborne proves herself a capable stylistic maven, even if she's clearly more at ease with blue-eyed soul ballads than Wrangler drawl. Featuring megahit covers like "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Midnight Train To Georgia," the LP also has some stale biscuits (all too fitting for the Time Life label), but the Hall & Oates cover "Sara Smile" is a highlight. Osborne's own songs, like the breezy "Baby Is a Butterfly" and "Alone with You," are the most refreshing.