By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
October 18, 2002
“How Sweet It Is” is Joan Osborne’s answer to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The singer-songwriter was in Los Angeles working on an album when she heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center back home in New York City.
“I wanted to be with my family and friends to help out in any way that I could,” says Osborne, 40. “I canceled the rest of the sessions for the week and went home. I was busy volunteering with the Red Cross and other organizations to deal with it all in whatever small way I could.
“It was very satisfying, but I realized I also was avoiding the question: How does an artist respond to this? We can do benefits a million times, but what about creating something that is some kind of response to this? So I scratched that old session and focused on creating a new album with songs that were relevant to the situation we found ourselves in.”
She turned not to her own repertoire of songs but to classics written by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Edwin Starr.
One of the album’s most powerful covers is Aretha Franklin’s “Think.”
“I was intimidated to do that song. Who wouldn’t be? But [producer] John Leventhal made a great point. He told me that it’s impossible to make the songs better or outdo the originals. So just bring a different approach to the songs and find a way to sing them in the the most authentic way possible instead of trying to imitate someone else.”
Osborne’s nerves were on edge when she sang Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today” as part of his induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.
“Stevie thanked me and was very sweet. I was so nervous to sing it for him.”
Osborne, who had her first hit in 1995 with the beguiling single “One of Us,” may be seen on the big screen next month in “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” a feature-length documentary about Motown’s original studio band, the Funk Brothers.
HERE’S WHAT ELSE OSBORNE HAD TO SAY:
Favorite food: I love sushi.
Best way to keep voice in shape: If at all possible, I’ll eat at the health food store. I’ll get shots of wheat grass juice and buy some fresh produce. It’s easy to fall into the habit of snacking on bad food, especially on the road. I have to take care of myself on the road or I’ll get run down and won’t be able to perform as well as I’d like to.
Tour bus snacks: I try to stack the bus with things that are good for you, like carrots, cherry tomatoes and bean sprouts. I eat bean sprouts by the handful.
The Janis Joplin movie: There have been a number of attempts to make a movie about her and I’ve had a couple of auditions and meetings with directors and talked about it. But I never really felt acting was something I wanted to pursue. I had enough work in front of me to make my own music as opposed to trying to impersonate someone else. Not that I wouldn’t like to act at some point, but the timing wasn’t right.
Lactose intolerant? I once turned down an ad for that Got Milk? campaign because I wasn’t eating cheese or drinking milk. They offered me a lot of money to do it and sometimes I think I should’ve taken it. [Laughs.] But it wouldn’t have been honest. It clogs up my sinuses.
Ever pull a diva stunt? I’m a big soy milk freak and put it on our [contract] rider that the venues have to have soy milk backstage for us. Pathetic, huh? I’m a total lightweight!
Favorite activity while in town: I love to go to the art museums and visit the galleries. Chicago is such a great art town.
A Chicago must-do: I really want to see one of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses. I’m a big fan of his.
Best thing about playing to Chicago audiences: They’re real, enthusiastic and loving.
The last word on Chicago: I’ve lived in New York for 20 years, so it’s hard to impress me. But my band and I are all impressed by Chicago. I try to arrange our tour dates so I have a day off before or after the show so I can spend some time there.
