The High Notes
Associated Press reviews of recent music releases
Joan Osborne, “Trouble and Strife” (Thirty Tigers)
Joan Osborne’s many fans never know where her versatile voice might land, and on “Trouble and Strife” it’s between two guitars, one in each stereo channel.
The album might be the closest approximation to “Relish” that Osborne has recorded since her release of that breakthrough album 25 (!) years ago. Guitarists Jack Petruzzelli, Nels Cline, and Andrew Carillo provide a handsome framework with their solos, fills and rhythmic riffs as Osborne makes a variety of retro pop styles sound fresh.
She honors Dylan on the title cut and Prince on “Meat and Potatoes,” imitating the inimitable with gusto and good humor that lift both songs above mere mimicry. Osborne also draws from gospel, country and classic rock, her distinctive alto as sultry and sonorous as ever.
She opts for topical topics on her first album of original material since 2014, singing about the gender gap, the power of diversity and the need to keep dancing and romancing. On the bluesy “Hands Off,” Osborne rails against corruption and sounds eager to vote, the song offered as the soundtrack for a better tomorrow.
— Steven Wine
Ace Frehley “Origins Vol. 2” (eOne)
He’s back, back in the classic rock cover groove!
Ace Frehley, the founding Kiss guitarist and amateur extraterrestrial, offers up another helping of classic rock hits he loved while growing up, complete with some high-profile assists.
It begins with a straightforward rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times,” and after a Mountain cover of “Never In My Life,” the album hits its high point with Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin,’” a natural choice for the spaceman, who changes the lyrics to make it “Space Ace Truckin’” and adds some of his catch phrases like “Curly!” and “Where’s Jendell?’ a reference to his supposed home planet.
The most fun track is a cover of the Beatles’ “I’m Down,” where Ace and guitarist John 5 go off on wild solo runs with all the energy and exuberance of a teenage garage band.
Lita Ford provides vocals on “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander does likewise on Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole,” and one of Frehley’s Kiss successors on lead guitar, Bruce Kulick, puts his own unique spin on Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” There’s also a cover of the Kiss staple “She.”
—Wayne Parry