NEW ALBUM: MARIE OSMOND | UNEXPECTED

Marie Osmond has been part of the American cultural and musical landscape for so long; you can’t help but feel you know her. Many watched her grow up, performing with her brother, Donny, on the TV show they had decades ago, later throughout her solo career with several big hits, including her signature song “Paper Roses,” and more recently during an 11-year residency with Donny in Las Vegas. Now, Marie Osmond is back and has released a new album entitled "Unexpected" and says that when she imagined releasing the LP, the "Unexpected" title only seemed fitting since it was, indeed, "unexpected." "People know me from so many different kinds of music, but I don't think they realize I've been loving this music — the opera, the Broadway and American standards – since I was a young girl," Osmond says. “Unexpected” is a beautiful song by Andrew Lloyd Webber,” she explains. “And the reason I put that as the name of the album is that it’s really a thank you to the incredible fans that have allowed me to have this career.” Much of her staying power through the years has a lot to do with Osmond’s willingness to challenge and stretch herself. She certainly does that on the new album. Those more familiar with her country music background will be pleasantly surprised to hear her put her spin on American classics like Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow,” Louie Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World,” and “Climb Every Mountain” from "The Sound of Music." But Osmond also sings opera. She says she’s been studying the musical style for the past 20 years.