ISSUE #39 MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A Neil Zlozower

DONNY OSMOND His latest celebrates the former teen idol’s biggest musical infl uences

IN THE 50 YEARS SINCE DONNY edition]—because trying to top Tom Jones is different song when you go to a smoke-fi lled Osmond made his debut alongside his a task in and of itself. I was spitting blood jazz club where there’s just a spotlight and brothers on The Andy Williams Show, he’s after singing that because it was so hard. a mic. It should be sexy and slow. recorded 60 albums, including his latest, The Soundtrack of My Life. The album How did you land Stevie Wonder? Plan to include any in the Vegas show? features songs that were signifi cant in I’ve known Stevie for years, but this is the I’m going to incorporate some of these the 57-year-old performer’s life, from the fi rst time I ever called in a favor. After I Soundtrack songs into the show, since it’s Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road” to fi nished the track, I contacted him. But he hard for me to tour for this album because the Supremes’ “Baby Love.” Stevie Wonder doesn’t commit to just anything, so he said, of all the shows we do—fi ve days a week. played harmonica on “My Cherie Amour,” and “Send me what you’ve got so far so I can But we’re constantly changing the show Osmond took a turn on a tune meant for him in hear it.” The next thing I know my phone rings because we get tired of doing the same 1972. “I was the original choice to sing ‘Ben’ and it’s his assistant saying Stevie wants thing over and over. We switch it up often by Michael Jackson,” he says. Meanwhile, to speak with me. My heart stopped. But so that when people come back, it’s different Osmond continues to perform with sister he said, “I love what you’ve done, send me every time. We’ve always got to do “Puppy Marie in their highly successful Vegas show. the masters because I want to be a part of Love” and songs like that, because people this.” That made me happy, because he’s want to hear the hits, but then you give them Did any song intimidate you? my musical hero. the full spectrum. All of them! These are the most infl uential songs of my life and serve as an Where did you draw inspiration? Is there one song you’ll always do? autobiography, because they helped shape For the most part, I went back to the originals. My 1989 hit “Soldier of Love” is one of the who I am today—which is why I named it The They’re each magical in their own way—but most important songs I’ve ever recorded— Soundtrack of My Life. You can’t sing these instead of trying to re-create that magic I because the music industry acknowledged songs like the originals, because then you’re wanted to pinpoint what was magical about that it was my comeback. I had been written just doing karaoke. But there’s a danger in each particular song. Like, I didn’t use Frank off after my teen idol years. I was told I was a changing them, too. It was challenging to Sinatra’s version of “I’ve Got You Under has-been at 21. It took 10 years, but I fi nally make them my own. My Skin,” because if you read the lyric of got another hit with that song. It will always that song, it’s very sexy—which is not how be in the show, because it taught me that Which was most challenging? Frank approached it. That’s a bold thing to reinvention is what keeps you going. “I (Who Have Nothing)” [on the album’s deluxe say because he made it his own, but it’s a –Katy Kroll

‘You can’t sing these songs like the originals, because then you’re just doing karaoke.’

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