Jan 23, 2015 2 min read

The calendar may indicate that it’s 2015, but treasured memories from the 1970s rush into my head after listening to the latest release from Donny Osmond.

As a youngster, I can clearly recall watching “Donny & Marie” every Friday night with my parents. The weekly variety program ran from 1976 through 1979 and featured the talented Osmond brother- and-sister duo performing a family-friendly show with numerous special guests such as Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, Farrah Fawcett, Lucille Ball, Don Knotts, Roy Clark, Gabe Kaplan and Jerry Lewis. Every episode would close with the squeaky-clean siblings singing “May Tomorrow Be a Perfect Day.”

With “The Soundtrack of My Life,” Osmond offers a polished collection of classic covers that prominently displays his eternal boy-next-door charm and signature vocal style, making for yet another splendid day.

For Osmond’s 60th album, each track selected represents a significant part of the 57-year-old singer’s personal and professional life.

In honor of the first record Osmond bought, the opening track features the versatile entertainer soulfully crooning Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” with a harmonica solo provided by Wonder himself.

On songs like Steely Dan’s “Peg,” Michael Jackson’s “Ben” and Elton John’s “Your Song,” Osmond makes each song his own by lovingly and respectively infusing his own stylish spin on the memorable tracks. Highlights include sparkling versions of Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “The Long and Winding Road” and a moving duet with Laura Wright on the Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush number “Don’t Give Up.”

Accompanied by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra on most of the arrangements, Osmond sounds smooth, sophisticated and satisfied as he pours his heart and soul into this stimulating soundtrack of his life.

Clint Rhodes is the Herald-Standard music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.