Andrew Osenga‘s “The Ball Game” is equal parts Bryan Adams and John Mellancamp. Its “Jack and Diane”-esque Americana is threaded with the all-too-familiar “good old days” tale of forming a band with the boys with the stars in their eyes, only to aim for the sky and miss.
This isn’t Osenga’s first rodeo. In the late ’90s, the singer/songwriter from Normal, IL was both the lead singer and songwriter of – what else? – The Normals, a Christian alternative rock group that ultimately disbanded in 2002, but not before putting out three albums and earning two GMA Dove Award nominations. From there, Osenga went on to become the lead guitar player/songwriter for Caedmon’s Call, a contemporary Christian band that experimented with sounds from the world music, folk, and alternative rock genres.
Now, Osenga‘s a solo artist with influences like Marc Cohn, The Eels, and Paul Simon evident on his humanistic songs about life, love, and faith. His Christian rock roots are still there but they’re not overpowering, making his material a viable contender for mainstream and Christian radio stations alike.
If you’d like to catch Osenga on the road, he’s doing a brief stint in New England at the end of this week (MD, NY, CT, and PA) before heading up north to his “Canada” tune’s namesake to play a string of shows in cities like Windsor, Ottawa, and Brampton.
A Mooz Boosh 