BWW CD Review: THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM Gives The Osmond Chapman Orchestra Impressive Debut

If you're listening to "There's More Where That Came From" and it dawns on you that you're thinking of Christmastime, don't worry. Do not adjust your dial - you didn't time travel forward six months. You're just getting the Christmas vibe because listening to the debut album of The Osmond Chapman Orchestra is just like getting the perfect Christmas present. What the heck, it's like getting the best Fourth of July, Easter Sunday, or Birthday present, too. It's just a really great album, slick, hot, completely satisfying, and listening to it will make you want to ask Misters Osmond and Chapman where they've been all your life.

They've been working, that's where they've been.

David Osmond and Caleb Chapman both have healthy resumes and impressive pedigrees. They've done a lot with their lives and their careers, but one of the smartest things they ever did was join together to form this modern-day big band orchestra because, in doing so, they have taken an age-old style of music beloved by many, then given that style a journey throughout the history of music. By recording new arrangements of songs dating back to the Silver Screen, recordings made famous by artists like Johnny Cash and Stevie Wonder, and releasing new compositions steeped in today's musical sensibilities, the two men who guide the mission statement of this orchestra have created a sound that comforts through familiarity but invigorates with modernity. All the intellectual positing aside, it's also damn fine music.

Chapman and Osmond have meticulously mapped out the trajectory of the album, balancing the standards with rock re-imaginings, ballads with beats, and those all-important moments when the vocals take a back seat to show off an extraordinary band. Such sweet, swingy sounds are the stuff of which dreams are made, particularly on the title track and a surprisingly enjoyable "Over The Rainbow" - a song this writer thinks people really need to stop singing... or, at least, until this recording came along. It's tough to do something new with a classic hat trick, especially one sung by the greatest singer of all time, but doggone it if David and Caleb didn't do it. The two men are well matched on all eleven of the tracks on the album, with Caleb and the band providing David with superb musical waters upon which to float his powerful and palatable voice, and David highlighting the benefit of having a full orchestra to achieve your artistic vision. Big band tends to be a style of musical storytelling that leans more heavily on technique rather than emotional lyric connection, the artistry relying on showcasing particular skill, but there are always exceptions on a big band album, those moments of sweetness where all involved, from musician to vocalist, from arranger to producer, zero in on a composition with the knowledge that this is where the story must be led by the heart. Whether the Osmond Chapman team is focused on the magical magnitude of the Osmond/Chapman original (with Roger Brown) "I Need a Good Reason" or on a private and personal Bruno Mars cover ("When I Was Your Man") they leave no option unconsidered, and make the choices that will, best, tell the story they have come to tell, be it about the lyrics or the big band sound.

Speaking personally, I will confess that my album review process is to import new CDs into my phone and listen to them on repeat until the article is completed, then delete them to make room for the next album on the list. That's just not going to happen here because "There's More Where That Came From" is going to require further enjoyment from me, particularly Osmond's duet with lovely Jenny Jordan, "We Might As Well Fall In Love" and the coolest re-imagining of "Fly Me To The Moon" to come along in a long, long time. At this point, all this guy (and the other lucky owners of the CD) can do is keep playing this album until the Osmond Chapman Orchestra makes good on the promise that there is more to come, and delivers it. For now, this will have to do. But don't make us wait too long, guys. Please.

The Osmond Chapman Orchestra THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM is a Club44 Records release that will be available on all platforms starting June 4th.

Visit the Club44 Records website HERE.

Visit the Osmond Chapman Orchestra website HERE.

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