home
listen
Featured Album

Each week XPN's Mike Vasilikos, serves up another Featured Album of the Week. Tune in to the XPN Morning Show every Monday as Mike reviews another great CD.

Join WXPN and Receive the Current Featured Album of the Week
The current Featured Album of the Week is available as a thank you gift when you become a member of WXPN. Join WXPN now, or renew your membership. Just select Featured Album of the Week on the "Thank You Gifts" pull-down menu, make a $75 donation, and you will receive this week's featured album. A great way to add to your music collection and help support WXPN Public Radio!

 

Joan Osborne - "Pretty Little Stranger" (Vanguard)

Joan Osborne calls this new album - Pretty Little Stranger - her version of a country record, and that seems pretty fair after a few listens. The pace is moderate, the songs nicely arranged, and the whole package is tied together by her most important attribute - that remarkable voice.

Osborne wrote several of the tunes on this album, including the title track, "Who Divided" (the first "single"), and "Shake That Devil", which are all highlights of Pretty Little Stranger. This new record also includes songs written by Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter, and Patty Griffin. Guest artists include Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Sonny Landreth and Rodney Crowell, who provides harmony vocals on "When The Blue Hour Comes."

There's not a whole lot of Joan's signature "belting it out" style on this new album, but it does include some of her best ballad singing to date.

Written by Dan Reed

Click here to see the complete list of WXPN Featured Albums.
Site Map | Help & FAQs | Privacy | Contact
Copyright 2009 WXPN-FM / The Trustees of The University of Pennsylvania, All Rights Reserved
XPN.org is made possible with the generous support of XPN Members and our Business Sponsors.