Joan Osborne celebrates the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough debut Relish with Relish Reimagined, a jazz-inspired reinterpretation of the album that introduced her to the world in 1995. Working with 11-time Grammy winner Christian McBride, Osborne revisits the songs that earned her seven Grammy nominations, including the massive hit “One of Us,” bringing three decades of experience and a fresh musical perspective to one of the defining albums of the '90s.

The idea came together after Osborne attended the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival, where she was struck by the remarkable variety of music being performed. A chance meeting with McBride, who was then serving as the festival's artistic director, led to a collaboration that would take the blues, rock, folk and soul influences of Relish in an entirely new direction.

McBride helped assemble an impressive group of musicians, including guitarist Marc Ribot, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, drummers Nate Smith and Jerome Jennings, and pianists Renee Rosnes and Caelan Cardello. Together, they bring their own musical personalities to Osborne's original material while leaving plenty of room for her unmistakable voice.

The results range from a smoky jazz waltz interpretation of “St. Teresa” to a funk-driven “Right Hand Man,” complete with McCaslin's spirited saxophone playing. “Spiderweb” gets a fresh dose of funk, while “Pensacola” takes on a darker, more reflective character with guest vocalist Justin Hicks. The album's signature hit, “One of Us,” receives a particularly striking transformation, trading its familiar upbeat arrangement for a quieter, more intimate performance. Osborne also revisits her interpretation of Bob Dylan's “Man in the Long Black Coat,” a song that helped establish a musical connection between the two artists.

For Osborne, the project offered an opportunity to reconsider songs that have remained part of her life for 30 years. Her relationship with the material has evolved through countless performances and conversations with fans who have shared how deeply the music affected them. Those experiences inform these new recordings, from the emotional intensity of “Dracula Moon” and “Crazy Baby” to the warmth of album closer “Lumina.”

Relish Reimagined finds Joan Osborne embracing the freedom of jazz improvisation while reconnecting with the songwriting that launched her career. With Christian McBride and his exceptional musicians alongside her, these familiar songs reveal new musical possibilities and the perspective that comes from living with them for three decades.