''Trouble and Strife'' is a 2020 studio album by American singer-songwriter

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

. The album has received positive reviews for critics with the music blending varieties of genres and interweaving political and personal themes in the lyrics.

Recording and release

''Trouble and Strife'' is a collection of new material from Osborne, who had previously released two albums of covers ('' Bring It on Home'' in 2012 and '' Songs of Bob Dylan'' in 2017) as well as a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

that took several years to complete (2014's '' Love and Hate''). The singer decided to go to the studio to make a new album, but only decided days before the sessions started that it would be made up of new material rather than covers. She ultimately decided to showcase her songwriting skills and perform original work that touches on larger political themes or social issues such as

gender non-conformity Gender nonconformity or gender variance is gender expression by an individual whose behavior, mannerisms, and/or appearance does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A person can be gender-nonconforming regardless of their gender identit ...

and immigration, but which she considers very personal.

Reception

The editors of

AllMusic Guide AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

scored ''Trouble and Strife'' four out of five stars, with reviewer Mark Deming praising Osborne's ability to shift genres and at "every turn she sounds assured and fully in charge, as if she was born to sing it all". In ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', Lee Zimmerman gave ''Trouble and Strife'' four out of five stars for performing "soulful grooves" that "tackl tough subjects that are solidly in sync with the nation’s turmoil and tension, polarized politics and continuing cultural divide". Jeff Tamarkin of ''

Relix ''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concer ...

'' also praised the singer's ability to shift genres while "tying her 10 diverse new tunes together with a sense of purpose and single-mindedness". In ''

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'', John Moore praised Osborne for mixing the poignant and the political, calling this the "most politically minded album of her career". David Cheal of ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' rated ''Trouble and Strife'' four out of five stars, noting Osborne's history of activism, which "brings a different kind of spirit to a genre ock musicthat is more conventionally devoted to pursuits such as drinking and partying".

Track listing

All songs written by

, except where noted #"Take It Any Way I Can Get It" – 4:06 #"What's That You Say" – 4:23 #"Hands Off" – 4:21 #"Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)" ( Keith Cotton and Osborne) – 5:05 #"Trouble and Strife" – 4:05 #"Whole Wide World" – 5:03 #"Meat and Potatoes" (Nick Govrick and Osborne) – 4:03 #"Boy Dontcha Know" – 4:21 #"That Was a Lie" – 3:40 #"Panama" – 4:16

Personnel

– lead vocals; hand claps on "Panama"; backing vocals on "What's That You Say", "Whole Wide World", "Meat and Potatoes", and "Panama"; loop station on "Panama";

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes"; artwork *Keith Brogdon – cover layout *Andrew Carillo – electric guitar on "Take It Any Way I Can Get It", "What's That You Say", "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)", "Whole Wide World", "Boy Dontcha Know", "That Was a Lie", and "Panama"; acoustic guitar on "Hands Off"; electric

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

on "Whole Wide World"; mando guitar on "Boy Dontcha Know" *Aaron Comess – drums on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes", percussion on "Take It Any Way I Can Get It", "What's That You Say", "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)", "Trouble and Strife", "Whole Wide World", "Boy Dontcha Know", and "Panama" *

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been a guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex, a percussionist. He has wor ...

– guitar on "What's That You Say", "Trouble and Strife", "That Was a Lie", and "Panama" * Keith Cotton –

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

on "Take It Any Way I Can Get It", "Hands Off", "Trouble and Strife", "Whole Wide World", and "That Was a Lie";

Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

on "What's That You Say" and "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)";

Hammond B-3 The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

on "What's That You Say", "Hands Off", "Trouble and Strife", and "That Was a Lie"; Prophet 6 on "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)" and "That Was a Lie"; piano on "Boy Dontcha Know" and "Panama"; hand claps on "Panama" *Alex DeTurk – mastering at The Bunker Studio *Ada Dyer – backing vocals on "Take It Any Way I Can Get It", "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)", and "That Was a Lie" *

Steve Gorman Steve Gorman (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician and radio host. He is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes. He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophonics. He also hos ...

– drums on "Meat and Potatoes" *Nick Govrick – synthesizer on "Meat and Potatoes", bass guitar on "Meat and Potatoes", guitar on "Meat and Potatoes", production on "Meat and Potatoes" *Ross Gower –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

on "Meat and Potatoes" *Richard Hammond – bass guitar on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes" *John Jackson – guitar on "Meat and Potatoes" *Audrey Martells – backing vocals on "What's That You Say" and "Boy Dontcha Know" *

Jack Petruzzelli The Fab Faux is a musical tribute band performing the works of the Beatles (whose members were often known as the "Fab Four"). The group was founded by Will Lee, bassist for ''Late Show with David Letterman'', and features Jimmy Vivino, bandleade ...

– electric guitar on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes", acoustic guitar on "Whole Wide World",

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

on "Trouble and Strife" *Vance Powell – mixing on "Meat and Potatoes" at Sputnick *Ana Maria Rea – spoken word passage on "What's That You Say" *Martha Redbone – backing vocals on "What's That You Say" and "Boy Dontcha Know" *Catherine Russell – backing vocals on "Take It Any Way I Can Get It", "Never Get Tired (Of Loving You)", and "That Was a Lie" *Matt Shane – hand claps on "Panama", engineering on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes", mixing on all tracks except "Meat and Potatoes"

References

External links