DEAR JOAN OSBORNE,

Please accept my apology for saying such unpleasant things about your new record "PRETTY LITTLE STRANGER," right here on these pages. A friend of mine read the comments and said, "You know you should really give this record a chance. It's not as bad as you say."

Miss Osborne, my friend was right. It's actually darn good. What I heard the first 2 times I listened was very simply not what I WANTED to hear. What I WANTED to hear was the heartbreaking and hip-shaking soul music you used to sing when I saw you back in the East Village days. Back in the days before God was one of us. Before the record labels and their nitwit A&R GUYS rejected the follow-up release to your multi-million dollar smash. Back before John Leventhal turned an album full of soul covers, into a drum-machine fueled, smooth-jazz disappointment. What I WANTED to hear was exactly what you did as producer for the Holmes Brothers on their perfect release, "SPEAKING IN TONGUES."

Miss Osborne, what I didn't want to hear was a collection of country-influenced tunes recorded in Nashville, by one of the greatest and most underrated modern soul singers alive. So maybe...just maybe...I wasn't really listening. But I like you too much. So I listened again.

Great job! What was I thinking? (well...see above)