Arts & Entertainment

3 great albums you probably missed

Osborne, Hawkins and Cleveland each had overlooked ’12 releases

Published

12 years ago

December 26, 2012

Joey DiGuglielmo

(Courtesy Saguardo Road Records, 204 Records and Sophie B. Hawkins)

How much grit and growl you like in your pop music is like creamer in coffee — it’s a personal thing, though most would agree there’s such a thing as overkill. Three great ‘90s singer/songwriters, who all deserve to be much higher on the cultural radar than they are but whom, for various and far-ranging reasons have become victims of zeitgeist nonchalance, released new albums this year that are sadly in serious danger of falling through the cracks.

What’s most surprising is that the two who’ve always been known for rough, sometimes aggressive vocals — Joan Osborne and Ashley Cleveland — have reined in the rougher edges while Sophie B. Hawkins, whose voice has always been a scion of crystalline clarity, sounds sandier and patchier than ever. But in a good way.

It’s a minor miracle that these albums were released at all considering the solid decade of record industry upheaval. There’s little cushion left to support veteran but not top-selling artists, so they’re left to their own devices. They each deserve kudos for soldiering on.

Joan Osborne had done a few indie projects but had — by galaxies — her biggest commercial season in 1995 and 1996 with the album “Relish,” buoyed by her monster hit “One of Us” (which only sounds like a novelty at first; it really has staying power).

Her follow-up, 2000’s “Righteous Love,” took forever to come out. “Bring it One Home,” which dropped in March, is the latest in a string of quasi-concept albums. It’s mostly covers and skews heavy in the blues/R&B vein and sizzles with classy takes on second-tier standards. Unless you’re a historian, there will be cuts here that are new to you as they were to me. Osborne skillfully finds material here that’s not too obscure but not super obvious either (joanosborne.com). Standouts are the fun Ray Charles cover “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” the hard-grooving “Shake Your Hips” and the raucously up tempo “Roll Like a Big Wheel.”

Sophie B. Hawkins managed massive hits on her first two albums — “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Love” from 1992’s “Tongues and Tails” and “As I Lay Me Down” from 1994’s masterpiece “Whaler,” but hit tougher times, at least commercially, by the end of the decade with 1999’s “Timbre.” Her new album, “The Crossing” dropped in June and is her first release since 2004’s uneven-but-still-worthy “Wilderness.”

“The Crossing” is a rich and subversive record that needs several listens to sink in. Initially it sounds pleasant enough but not earth shattering, but slowly its jazzy, wrenching torch songs sneak up on your consciousness and you realize it has several great moments — the bluesy “Heart & Soul of a Woman,” the climax-stoking “Gone Baby” and the deliciously melodic “The Land the Sea and the Sky.” Hawkins includes acoustic remakes of her two monster hits — “Damn” and “Lay” — as bonus cuts and they’re so raw and bare, it’s almost startling. Startlingly effective, too, and wondrous to hear in such unvarnished style (sophiebhawkins.com).

Ashley Cleveland may have the smallest sales of the three but she’s also got three Grammys, all in the rock/gospel category where she set up camp in the early ‘90s after a commercially unfruitful launch at Atlantic with 1991’s “Big Town,” a great and criminally overlooked album, by the way. Her later albums, like 2002’s “Second Skin” and “2006’s “Before the Daylight’s Shot” aren’t as solid as her earlier work, but records like 1993’s “Bus Named Desire” and 1995’s “Lesson of Love” are so masterful, it would be hard for anything to stand up against such classics. She rebounded on sure footing with 2009’s gospel standards project “God Don’t Never Change.” This year’s “Beauty in the Curve” is available but isn’t on iTunes and can only be ordered through her site (ashleycleveland.com).

It’s definitely worth the effort to get — her greasy, garage-y interpretations of gospel songs like “City On a Hill,” “Walk in Jerusalem” and “Thief at the Door,” are balms to an ear burned out on too much of the usual Nashville-santitized contemporary Christian music. Black gospel knows this and has managed to sidestep it for the most part, although that brings its own issues — another essay. But Cleveland brings just enough left-of-center sensibilities to her gospel music to remain peerless. She often succeeds with simplicity — closing cut “Woke Up This Morning With My Mind on Jesus” is just her vocal with electric guitar and she succeeds in convincing you that’s just as it should be. Anything else would have been clutter.

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Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’

Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Published

20 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Singer Tom Goss is back. (Photo by Dusti Cunningham)

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.

For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.

Calendar

Calendar: May 2-8

LGBTQ events in the days to come

Published

21 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Tinashe Chingarande

Friday, May 2

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at P.F. Chang’s. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, May 3

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events for LGBTQ People of Color, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, May 4

“The Chateau Drag Brunch” will be at 12 p.m. at Chicatana. Enjoy fabulous Mexican food and cocktails while being entertained by a rotating cast of the DMV’s best drag performers. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

“The Bubble: Queer Brooklyn Comics in DC” will be at 5 p.m. at As You Are. Queer comedians Charlie Flynn, Evan Lazarus and Keara Sullivan are coming down from NYC for a night of fun as they split an hour of standup comedy. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, May 5

“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].

Tuesday, May 6

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].

Wednesday, May 7

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older queer women can meet and socialize with one another. We will have discussion, activities, and a chance for you to share what you want future events to include. For more details, email [email protected].

Thursday, May 8

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

South Asian Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The peer support group is an outlet for South Asian-identified LGBTQ individuals to come and talk about anything affecting them. It’s a secure, judgment-free environment to discuss relationships, sexuality, health, well-being, identity, culture, religion, or anything that is on your mind. For more details, email [email protected].