Search - Donny Osmond :: The best of Donny Osmond: Millennium Collection

Terrific 70s pop compilation from a big teen idol

S. Paradoa | Miami, Florida United States | 08/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This twelve track set includes Donny's remake of "I Knew You When," which was the flipside of his hit single "Hey Girl" in early 1972. This track is finally available for the first time on CD. All of the other eleven cuts where included on the 1992 Greatest Hits disc on the Curb label. Donny's last top 40 hit from the 70s is missing from this compilation, his version of "C'mon Marianne," which is included in the previous hits collection mentioned above. This new set's sound and notes are excellent. Maybe what Universal Music will do for big fans and collectors in the near future is remaster and reissue the original albums (or release a box set). If you do not own the older hits disc get this "best of" release instead. You may also want to pick up the recently released "20th Century Masters" volumes for both the Osmonds and Donny & Marie as well."

Sweet tunes and innocence from a young Donny Osmond !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Best Of Donny Osmond: Millennium Collection does a fairly good job of giving us Donny Osmond's hit when he was a young boy and a younger man. This CD has excellent sound quality although the artwork is about par for this CD series.



"Sweet And Innocent" starts the CD with a very young Donny Osmond singing his heart out; and that cute 1970s melody still sounds so fresh and good today! This still is great music for dancing; Donny's voice is excellent and it all holds its own very well. "Go Away Little Girl" slows down the tempo quite a bit for this love ballad; this melancholy ballad sounds wonderful when Donny Osmond sings it and he never misses a beat. Even at a very young age, Donny had an intuitive feel for music and an uncanny sense of timing to make his songs all the better.



"Hey Girl" features Donny front and center--and I love that! Donny gets to show off the full range of his young boy's voice and the backup chorus bolsters his performance very well--not that he needed it; but it did serve to enhance the natural beauty of this ballad. In addition, "Puppy Love," my favorite tune on this CD, has Donny singing this fine number about the angst of young love and puppy love. Donny sings this with panache and I am very impressed; the musical arrangement is very well done, too.



"Too Young" is a very beautiful song that never ceases to amaze me; I love to hear young Donny Osmond singing this song so sweetly. The melody is really very pretty and the backup chorus harmonizes to perfection. "Too Young" is easily a major highlight of this CD--this is anything but elevator music! Listen also for Donny to perform "Lonely Boy;" "Lonely Boy" has a great chorus and when Donny sings this he really opens up and gives his all to make this a great song. The percussion works wonders for "Lonely Boy," too.



"The Twelfth of Never" is another song that is adorable when Donny Osmond sings this out! He does this one right and we hear a more mature Donny performing this song flawlessly. "The Twelfth of Never" is a beautiful love song that remains timeless and you are sure to like this if you haven't heard it yet. "Young Love" also places Donny squarely in the spotlight; this tune again shows him at a later age--but his voice is still very fine and exceptionally sensitive. Donny delivers "Young Love" passionately and it all works very well.



The CD also ends great with "Are You Lonesome Tonight." I've heard Elvis perform this song many times; but Donny Osmond is equally able to deliver this with a great deal of style and grace. Wow!



Overall, this CD is a must for Donny Osmond fans. It could have had an extra song or two; twelve tracks is still a bit skimpy so I will take off one star to give this album a four star review.

"

CUTE TEEN POP

Pieter | Johannesburg | 02/11/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, my preteen years. Dimly aware of the Beatles and The Rolling Stones, I thought Donny Osmond and his brothers were more relevant and in fact the essence of pop `n roll. (Except Little Jimmy, whom I considered a novelty act, although I did buy one of his singles). Of these songs, I was bowled over by the squeaky Sweet And Innocent, overwhelmed by Go Away Little Girl, charmed by Puppy Love, impressed by Young Love and deeply moved by Twelfth Of Never. The Osmonds were a huge teen craze in both the US and UK from about 1970 up to the middle of that decade. The band concentrated on more up-tempo or even downright revolutionary singles like Crazy Horses, whilst Donny went for pure pop and love ballads and Marie explored the romantic side of country. This is great nostalgia stuff, good material and not badly performed either. No doubt this wholesome music had a positive influence on my emotional and intellectual development. Thank you, dear Osmond Family!"