Back in 1995, Joan Osborne was riding high on the success of single “One Of Us.” Thing is, that #4 hit—a song as ubiquitous as the Man Upstairs she was singing about—wasn’t really indicative of the bluesy rock on her album, Relish. And so while the pull of “One Of Us” pushed the disc to over 3 million in sales, subsequent singles “St. Teresa” and “Right Hand Man” proved nowhere near as heavenly to pop fans and failed to chart.

Proper follow-up Righteous Love didn’t materialize until late 2000, delayed by record label troubles, and Osborne seemed determined to confound folks once again. The eclectic mix included “Safety In Numbers,” a Stones’ “Miss You”-style groove; the power pop of “Grand Illusion”; and a title track steeped in early-Sixties melodrama. Hear here:

Though it deserved a far better reception, Righteous Love peaked at a disappointing #90 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, releasing Osborne from the majors. In 2002, she served up a soul covers LP, How Sweet It Is, and appeared in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a documentary film about the legendary label’s backing band, The Funk Brothers. After gigging with them on tour, the NYC-based Osborne zagged, heading to Nashville to record 2006’s Pretty Little Stranger, a country-tinged collection. Last year’s Breakfast In Bed found Osborne revisiting soul once more, with five of her compositions sitting comfortably among the covers.

Now the chameleonic Osborne is challenging the music playbook once more. For Little Wild One, she went back to the start, reuniting with her Relish-era team of writers and producers—Rob Hyman, Eric Bazilian, and Rick Chertoff. On the disc, Osborne is in a New York state of mind, offering a musical postcard to the city the Kentucky native has called home since the late Eighties.

While I haven’t heard all of Little Wild One (though thankfully, there is no “One Of Us, Pt. 2 (Still On The Bus)”, the album’s real standout is its only cover. Osborne showcases her impressive interpretive talents on Jump, Little Children’s “Cathedrals,” besting the original. Hear here:

The genesis of Little Wild One actually began several years ago. Osborne & Co. were finishing up tracks when she discovered she was pregnant with her daughter, now nearly four.

Purchase Little Wild One via iTunes, Amazon.