By Ray Chelstowski
When Joan Osborne’s album, Songs of Bob Dylan, was released in 2017, it quickly received praise for her ambitious approach to arrangements. Well known songs like “The Mighty Quinn” were given a fresh look and were approached with a kind of freedom that most artists would consider too daring, especially when the material you are playing with was created by Bob Dylan. But Osborne came to the project with a respect for the songs that ultimately resulted in expressions that demonstrated their strength, their flexibility and their timelessness. The album’s release was supported by a full band tour in 2018, with special guests and versions of songs not included on the studio record. In looking through her personal archive she came upon some shows that were recorded on that tour and found one from the Tarrytown Music Hall that sounded so good, she knew that it has to be shared.
Dylanology Live is about to be released and her version of “Highway 61 Revisited” from the album has been teased as a single. It demonstrates how well these versions translate live and how great the acoustics are in that river side room. Osborne’s out on tour in support of this new record and Goldmine was able to catch up with her to talk about the legacy of Dylan, the approach she takes to covers, and the lasting impact her experience with Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead has had on her career.