(Joan Osborne is among the artists scheduled to perform aboard the first-ever GRAMMY Festival at Sea: Women Who Rock. Taking place Nov. 4–8, the cruise will take passengers on a high-seas musical adventure, departing from Miami and including stops at Grand Bahama Island and Nassau, Bahamas. For more information, and to book your cabin reservation, visit www.grammyfestivalatsea.com.)

When music lovers discuss pop's great chameleons, they usually mention Madonna, David Bowie and Neil Young, among others. Reliably restless, these artists seem to change everything from singing and musical styles to outfits with each new release. Making a case for addition to this excitingly eclectic list is the extremely talented Joan Osborne.

Since her 1995 major label debut, Relish, Osborne has been a quiet Riot Grrrl, a superb soul sister and a tie-dyed member of the Dead. She's also an authentic blues interpreter, evidenced by her 2012 GRAMMY nomination for Best Blues Album for Bring It On Home.

The GRAMMY-nominated shape shifter is at again with Trigger Hippy. The group features Osborne, Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, guitarist/keyboardist/lead vocalist Jackie Greene, lead guitarist Tom Bukovac, and bassist Nick Govrik. Scheduled for release on Sept. 30, Trigger Hippy's debut album moves easily from the ramshackle gospel of the Band to the "Black Dog"-inspired blues-rock of Led Zeppelin. The quintet will kick off a monthlong tour on Oct. 1 in Los Angeles.

Osborne will then trade land for sea, joining up with The Recording Academy's inaugural GRAMMY Festival at Sea setting sail Nov. 4–8. Departing from Miami, the cruise will feature performances by GRAMMY-winning and/or -nominated "women who rock," including Osborne, Shawn Colvin, Estelle, Skylar Grey, Emmylou Harris, and Heart.

In an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview, Osborne spoke about her new incarnation, the GRAMMY Festival at Sea and other pertinent points in her still-vital career.

How did Trigger Hippy get together in the first place? It seems like an odd aggregation at first glance.
I actually meet Steve years ago on the H.O.R.D.E. tour, when the Black Crowes were playing and I was with the Dead. We just kept crossing paths over the years, doing festivals in Europe, being on the same bill, that sort of thing. Steve is a force of nature. So if you're a friend of his, you're bound to get swept up by him.

Did you and the guys just intuitively understand that your various styles would blend?
All of us at this point have traveled in similar musical circles. Jackie Greene and I have both worked with guys in the Dead, like Phil Lesh. Which means we all love many different kinds of music — rock, blues, bluegrass. One of the things I like about the band is we're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're more like a meat-and-potatoes version of the things we all love.

So you just kind of fell into the various types of music you play on the album?
We're all coming from an eclectic place. We didn't overthink anything. It's all taken place on an instinctive level. We get together and play the things we want to play and write songs we want to hear.

How did the writing process work?
Everybody has writing skills in this group. One of the things I appreciate about us is we're all bringing material. Jackie brought the song "Rise Up Singing," bassist Nick Govrick brought a couple tunes that were basically finished. I had some ideas for songs that I didn't think would work for the solo album I'm currently working on. There were times we spent together in the studio writing. Also, we sent each other ideas back and forth.

Is it ever difficult being the only female in the band?
Well, it's a situation I've found myself in more than once: being the only white person onstage or the only woman onstage. It's fine. I grew up with brothers, which is not to say that I don't like having girls onstage and playing music with me. I need that and do seek it out sometimes. It's not something I think too much about. [With Trigger Hippy,] it's, "This is who we are, this is what we're doing and I'm down with it."

How did you get involved with the GRAMMY Festival at Sea?
I did my first cruise a few years ago. I got offered this blues cruise, which I did with my friends the Holmes Brothers. At first I almost passed on it. I'd never been on a cruise before and I thought it might be cheesy. But then we went and had the best time. It was like a floating festival. The audience was out of their heads, having a great time. There was great food and we went to all these wonderful ports of call. Plus, there were other great acts like Taj Mahal. So now anytime [someone] asks me to do one, I'm like, "We're there!'"

I gather there are a lot of great female artists on the [GRAMMY] cruise. Emmylou [Harris] is going to be on it, Shawn Colvin, Heart and a bunch of other gals. I guess they figured I'd be a good addition. So I'm pretty excited about it.

It sounds like a good time, indeed.
Yeah. And I think [The Recording Academy] is doing it for a good reason. … They're actually an organization that really loves music. And [this cruise] makes it clear to the world that that's true.

(Peter Gerstenzang is an award-winning humorist and music writer. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire.com, The Village Voice, and many other publications.)