Acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Joan Osborne is back with Nobody Owns You, out September 8th on Womanly Hips Records and produced by Ben Rice (Valerie June, Norah Jones). While the Grammy-nominated singer’s highly praised 2020 release Trouble and Strife took a frank and honest look at our socio-political landscape, Nobody Owns You finds Osborne in a very personal place, contemplating life’s major questions. The introspective collection highlights Osborne’s songwriting prowess and offers inspiration, optimism and hope, surrounded by a rootsy and deeply soulful sound.
As the writer and co-writer on all twelve new songs, Osborne shares her profound personal beliefs but still has much to say regarding the current climate in the US. The first offering off the album is “Great American Cities,” a rebuttal of right-wing TV pundits disparaging America’s urban centers. Osborne shares, “I go to these cities all the time, and while they have issues like anywhere, they are full of life and energy and creativity and joy. This song came from my desire to celebrate America’s big cities and challenge the disinformation that’s being put out about them.” Listen to “Great American Cities” HERE, and pre-order Nobody Owns You HERE.
Nobody Owns You opens with the reflective “I Should’ve Danced More,” an honest look back on the past and what is ahead in life. The powerful title track “Nobody Owns You” is a feminist message meant for Osborne’s daughter, to applaud and encourage embracing her autonomy. “Women’s Work” is a missive to all working moms, as Osborne vocalizes the stark reality that “a woman’s work is never done.” That complicated truth is further illuminated in “So Many Airports” as she recounts the endless nights on the road, away from home. And never one to shy away from current issues, Osborne laments the epidemic of mass shootings in the troubling “Time of the Gun.”
Joining Osborne on the album is Rice, who adds banjo guitar, along with Cindy Cashdollar on lap steel, Dave Sherman on piano, and Jack Petruzelli on baritone guitar. Backing vocalists Rachel Yamagata and Catherine Russell add tone and texture as they contribute harmonies throughout much of the album. Jill Sobule adds another layer of sound on the upbeat “Child of God” and the hymnlike “Lifeline.”
Nobody Owns You follows Osborne’s acclaimed Trouble & Strife, which earned raves from NPR, People, Associated Press and more. In 2022, Osborne released Radio Waves, an anthology of select performances broadcast on national airwaves since 1995.
Osborne begins a headline tour on August 5th in Newtown, NJ. A full list of tour dates is below and on her website HERE.
Throughout her 25-year, multi-Grammy nominated career, Joan Osborne has never been an artist confined to one space. She has utilized her incredible voice through her own songs while also becoming one of her generation’s finest interpreters. Osborne has shared the stage with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Mavis Staples to Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams, and she continues to seamlessly blend into any genre. On Nobody Owns You, her eleventh studio album, Osborne shares her deepest thoughts on life as we know it, hoping others may find solace alongside her.
JOAN OSBORNE 2023 TOUR DATES
August 5 – Newton, NJ – The Newton Theatre
August 6 – Washington D.C. – The Hamilton Live
August 11 – Portsmouth, NH – Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club
August 12 – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse
September 15 – Natick, MA – The Center for Arts in Natick
September 20 – Hummelstown, PA – The Englewood
September 22 – Old Saybrook, CT – Kathrine Hepburn Cultural
September 23 – Bethlehem, NH – The Colonial Theatre
September 24 – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts of Homer
September 26 – North Tonawanda, NY – Riviera Theatre
September 28 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery St. Louis
September 29 – Evanston, IL – Space
September 30 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota
October 6 – Goshen, CT – Blackbear Music Fest
November 8 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
November 10 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
November 12 – Great Falls, MT – The Newberry
November 14 – Berkeley, CA – Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
November 15 – Grass Valley, CA – Center for the Arts (Grass Valley)
November 16 – Venice, CA – The Venice West
November 18 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
November 19 – Bristol, TN – Paramount Center for the Arts
November 21 – Frankfort, KY – Grand Theatre
November 30 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap
December 1 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
December 3 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage
December 5 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
December 7 – Roanoke, VA – Shaftman Performance Hall at Jefferson
December 16 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse
December 31 – Saratoga Springs, NY – The Saratoga City Center Ballroom
