| Product Summary | | Label: Universal Music Group | | UPC: 00075021030589 | | Release Date: 1/11/2005 | | Buy.com Sku: 63938373 | | Item#: MQUL66 | Format:  CD |
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(P) 2004 Universal Classics Group, a Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
(C) 2004 Universal Classics Group, a Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
| Donny Osmond has been waiting a lifetime for this moment. Two years in planning and 12 months in the making, What I Meant To Say was written and recorded at Donny’s home in Utah and Gary’s house in Cheshire. The album reunites him with Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, the talented production team behind Somewhere In Time, his 2002 collection of classic love songs that went platinum in the UK in one week. All the songs on What I Meant To Say come straight from the heart. You would expect nothing less from Donny Osmond as a man, and you get the same from Donny Osmond the songwriter.
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Donny Osmond (background vocals); Donny Osmond (vocals); Eliot Kennedy (guitar, keyboards, bass instrument, programming); Eliot Kennedy (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, programming); Tom Hopkins, Jean-F?lix Lalanne, Tom Hopkins (guitar); Steve Beighton (lute, flute, saxophone); Edmund Collins, Ed Collins (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jim Brickman (piano); Ryan Carline (keyboards, programming); Paul Peterson (Moog synthesizer); Ami Richardson, Ami Richardson (background vocals); Cary Baylis (guitar); Ronne Christlow (trombone); Gary Barlow (keyboards, programming). | | Audio Mixer: Robbie Adams. | | Photographer: Jeff Katz. | | After a couple of records and a popular talk show met its end, Donny Osmond was definitely on the comeback trail. Or as much of a comeback trail as '70s teen idols can travel. 2001's This Is the Moment was a collection of show tunes which won over fans and critics alike. It was followed shortly thereafter by 2002's Somewhere in Time; a collection of contemporary soft rock standards. Fast-forward two years to find Osmond still in fine form on What I Meant to Say; his first full-length album with original new material in over a decade. Granted there are still cover tunes here (Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" and the Burt Bacharach standard "This Guy's in Love with You" get the Osmond work over), but what is truly surprising is the quality of original compositions penned and produced by Osmond and friends. What I Meant to Say takes Osmond down roads filled with soft rock ballads and slow jams obviously inspired by quiet storm, R&B, and smooth jazz, and more often than not the results complement Osmond's voice quite well. The mere exception to the rule would be the Backstreet Boys' clone "Shoulda' Known Better," which unfortunately finds Osmond desperately attempting to write a pop tune four years past its "sell by" date; it's insulting to the smooth delivery and mature presentation of the rest of the album. Fans of Donny, of course, will purchase this and revel in its glory and rightfully so. It's another victory in a career filled with them. And with that timeless boyish charm and star-charting smile, it proves once again that you can knock an Osmond down, but never, ever count them out. ~ Rob Theakston | | Donny Osmond tends to take his time between solo records. It wasn't until 1989 that the former teen idol released his first album as an adult, DONNY OSMOND, narrowly missing a Number One hit with the dance-pop tune "Soldier of Love." After a lukewarm follow-up, Osmond focused on a successful Broadway career, which included a long run in the title role of JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. | | It wasn't until 2005 that Osmond would release another album of his own material (in the meantime, he released two covers records--one featuring Broadway showtunes, one consisting of adult-contemporary pop songs). WHAT I MEANT TO SAY incorporates Osmond's stage training into a style that lies somewhere between Rod Stewart and N Sync. The focus here is on ballads, which proves to be fitting for Osmond's dulcet voice. "Breeze On By," a surprise UK hit, typifies the record with its lushly produced, soulful feel. One of two covers, his take on Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "This Guy's in Love With You, " with its serenely soft delivery, is a true highlight of this sweet, lighthearted album. |
Producer: Donny Osmond; Donny Osmond |
Engineer: Robbie Adams; Robbie Adams |
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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 01/11/2005 | | Original Release Date : 2004 | | Catalog ID : 000373702 | | Label : Decca (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00075021030589 |
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