After 30 Years, Osmond Siblings Return To The Recording Studio
Arizona Republic
By Randy Cordova
May 9, 2011
Talk about waiting for a follow-up: More than 30 years after their last studio album (1978's "Goin' Coconuts"), Donny and Marie Osmond have returned with "Donny & Marie," a disc that features solo numbers and duets from the famous sibs.
You may be surprised if you haven't heard them since the 1970s; the scorching "Vegas Love" is miles away from sugary fare like "Morning Side of the Mountain." The "Dancing With the Stars" vets and Vegas headliners will be in the Valley to sign copies of the disc at Walmart, and Donny called to talk up the gig.
Question: There was a period when the public didn't seem terribly interested in Donny and Marie, and now it does. What causes that?
Answer: You're being very polite! (Laughing) We both know it was a lot worse than that. But I think it happens to anyone who starts out young in the business. Your audience grows up, and they don't want to listen to what they did when they were 13. I know what it's like. There was a period when I didn't want to hear "Puppy Love," either. It happens to everybody. It will happen to (Justin) Bieber. But you're maturing and growing along with the audience. And then there comes a time when they can look back, and it's OK. Plus, let's be honest here: "Dancing With the Stars," where I won and Marie came in third (laughing), that helped.
Q: That really did remind a lot people of who you guys are.
A: There were two young boys in the front row at the Flamingo, and afterward they came back to the meet-and-greet. They were very polite, and they say, "You were great, Mr. Osmond. We had no idea you sang!" (Laughing) I love that!
Q: Why did you two wait so long to record again?
A: Because we wanted to do it right. We knew it could have been quick, and we could have put our names on something and slapped it out there. But we listened to probably 200 songs to choose the right material.
Q: "Vegas Love" is possibly the rawest Donny and Marie duet I've ever heard.
A: Well, that's also because we haven't made an album together in 30 years. If we had been making albums during that time, you'd probably hear (an evolution). But to go from the '70s to this, yeah, it's a jump.
Q: As everyone knows, she's a little country, you're rock and roll. When you team up, who goes more in the other direction?
A: I think for this album, I went a little more in her direction, which was a challenge, but it was fun.
Q: You both can sing anything.
A: That comes from being on a variety show, where you have to be able to do anything, and everything is thrown at you. It's great training.
Q: You're signing autographs at Walmart. Have you ever been in a Walmart?
A: (Laughing) I am always at Walmart. You can ask the manager at my local Walmart. He knows me.
Q: Your family always gets compared to the Jacksons. On "Celebrity Apprentice," La Toya Jackson said how she didn't know how to cook because her family grew up with a personal chef. Was that your life?
A: (Laughing) We have a lot of things in common with the Jacksons, and a lot of things we don't. My father was very practical. When we lived in Los Angeles, he bought an apartment complex and took down (some walls and doors) and made it into a big house. When we moved a few years later, he had us put back up the walls and doors, and we sold it as an apartment building! |
