Music Is Medicine

Marie Osmond appeals to every imaginable audience on Music Is Medicine, roping in contemporary Olivia Newton-John for "Getting Better All the Time," touching upon country with cameos from John Rich and Diamond Rio, duetting with fellow Mormon singing star Alex Boyé on "Then There's You," and, inexplicably, bringing in Sisqó for "Give Me a Good Song." Nothing ties these guests together -- Sisqó especially feels out of place -- apart from stardom, and stardom is Osmond's specialty. Now in her 40th decade of fame, she no longer belongs to any particular sound or style, which means while Music Is Medicine is nominally a country album, nothing about it feels country, not even the bright pulse of "Love This Tough," her duet with Rich. It is an adult contemporary pop album with no designs on airplay: it only hopes to appeal to longtime fans of Osmond, those who have stuck with her through thick and thin. In that regard, Music Is Medicine works quite well. It's sweet, slick, and sentimental, nicely constructed in its bones and also so glossy that it goes down easy. Despite the ambitious cast of characters, it's music that's meant to soothe and comfort old friends, and it certainly succeeds in that regard. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine