This is the moment: the gratifying confirmation that two decades of restless talent, creative ambition and hard work have transformed an already remarkable singing career.
This is the man: Donny Osmond, a legendary entertainer who has continued to evolve, to grow, to redefine himself as an enduring artist in the music of his time.
This is the proof: a luminous new recording aptly titled This Is the Moment, Donny Osmond,s first for Decca Records, on which he savors the best of a generation of new songwriters who are bringing fresh energy to the musical theater. Joining Donny for his first recording in four years are guest artists Vanessa Williams and Rosie O,Donnell. The album,s release coincided with a concert TV special for PBS, that aired in March, 2001.
Donny Osmond needs no introduction. For more than 41 years, the world has watched him develop from a cherubic little boy singing on TV with his older brothers to a seasoned performer who always has the power to amaze. Without a conscious plan, Donny has been working since the early 1980s to realize the kind of fulfillment he has found in This Is the Moment. The second he heard the pitch for a creative new album of Broadway songs, he said, “That,s it. That,s exactly where I want to be.”
Not just any Broadway songs, but new and exciting ones produced and arranged with a pop edge. The tracks were taken from such musical theater phenomena as Rent, Jekyll & Hyde, Aida, Saturday Night Fever, Riverdance on Broadway, Whistle Down the Wind and two brand-new shows – Andrew Lloyd Webber,s The Beautiful Game, which just began its London run, and Broadway,s Seussical. Legendary producer Phil Ramone teamed up with the singer in putting together the recording, recognizing these songs as some of the finest pop music of their day.
The release of This Is the Moment is a long way from Donny,s Broadway debut in 1982 in an ill-fated revival of George M. Cohan,s Little Johnny Jones. “I opened and closed that show in one night on Broadway,” he recalled, “and I remember thinking – because it was just devastating - ,One of these days, I,m going to come back and do it right.,”