Mood Music

Driving home from Marisa’s funeral Saturday, after I got out of range of KUSC, Joan Osborne’s “One of Us” (from Relish) kept me company, when the sounds weren’t turned off altogether.

Other than it’s on my Desert Island list, what’s the attraction? Fit my mood, I guess: seemingly out of place with the rest of the album; asking questions, questions, questions...

On 11 June 2004, “A music fan (Brooklyn, NY)” posted a review of Relish on amazon.com: “Ray Charles died today, and I immediately thought of “Spider Web,” one of the many amazing songs on “Relish.” Forget “One of Us.” Please, please forget “One of Us,” and listen to this album with fresh ears. It’s basically about doing drugs, having amazing sex, feeling great and getting down and dirty,…”

Ah, yes, the basis of the well-lived life: drugs, sex, turning one’s own self on… Sign me up. NOT.

“One of Us” makes the album.

Frankly, “Spider Web” is notable mostly for the Ray Charles connection. That’s not completely true, actually. The premise, Ray’s gaining his sight chases away his musical muse, is certainly a different twist. And the percussion work is pretty cool!

I didn’t like “Man in the Long Black Coat” when Greg Lake sang it; time and gentler treatment haven’t improved it any.

You’ve gotta love a song that, in the middle of all that down and dirty sex and drugs, sounds suspiciously like our girl’s gotten that old-time (and I do mean old, not, er, nouveau, Bible-thumping, fer instance) religion. Guess it’s hard to concentrate on sex and drugs when you have to think about God’s name and face…