Anders Osborne

The boundaries of blues have shifted considerably over the past decade, and Anders Osborne is a perfect example. Swedish by birth, he's been based in New Orleans since 1985 and thrived on the city's musical gumbo. Although Osborne's roots still draw from commonly shared blues touchstones, his all-original songwriting displays more nods to rock, soul and reggae than some might expect. Further evidence of Osborne's non-traditional attitude is evident in his choice of collaborators, such as Pepper Keenan of Down and Corrosion of Conformity. It all adds up to American Patchwork being exactly that — an album that straddles several genres — all the while driven by Osborne's powerful singing and slide guitar playing. Its other main trait is the indomitable spirit of a New Orleans survivor, and that sense of hope is what ultimately raises American Patchwork above so many other current blues releases.