Steppin' Stone (album)

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Steppin' Stone
Studio album by
Marie Osmond
ReleasedSeptember 1989 (1989-09)
RecordedMay 1989 (1989-05)
Studio
  • Castle Recording Studios
  • Music Mill Studios
  • Omnisound Recording Studios
Genre
Label
ProducerJerry Crutchfield
Marie Osmond chronology
All in Love
(1989) 		Steppin' Stone
(1989) 		I Can Do This
(2010)
Singles from Steppin' Stone
  1. "Steppin' Stone"
    Released: August 1989
  2. "Slowly But Surely"
    Released: November 1989
  3. "Let Me Be the First"
    Released: circa early 1990

Steppin' Stone is a studio album by American singer Marie Osmond. It was released in September 1989 by the Capitol and Curb record labels. It was Osmond's eighth studio album in her solo recording career. Steppin' Stone was a collection of ten tracks that were described as having a traditional country sound compared to her previous albums. Three singles were issued from Steppin' Stone that reached positions outside the US and Canadian country top 40: the title track, "Slowly But Surely" and "Let Me Be the First". The album was given positive reviews from critics.

Background and recording[edit]

A part of her family's entertainment family, Marie Osmond formed her own career as a country music artist. As a teenager, her debut single "Paper Roses" was a chart-topping country single and a top five pop single. As she matured, she transitioned towards a film and television career but returned to the country recording industry in adulthood. In the middle 1980s (on Capitol Records), she had number one country singles with "Meet Me in Montana", "There's No Stopping Your Heart" and "You're Still New to Me". Osmond continued having charting singles through the end of the decade despite being less successful.[3] Her next Capitol studio album was 1989's Steppin' Stone. The project was recorded in May 1989 at three separate studios in the Nashville, Tennessee area: Castle Recording Studios, Music Mill Recording Studios and Omnisound Recording Studio. It was produced by Jerry Crutchfield. It was her first album project with Crutchfield serving as producer.[4]

Content[edit]

Steppin' Stone consisted of ten tracks.[2] The album's traditional country sound was considered a departure from Osmond's previous releases.[1][2] Charlotte Dillon of AllMusic described the album's material as being "about love lost, love found, love gone wrong, and the hope and wishes of love to be."[2] "What Would You About You (If You Were Me)" and "What's in It for Me" were both co-written by Bucky Jones and Tom Shapiro. "If You Think About It, Call Me", was a track also written by Shapiro and was a second cut written by Michael Garvin. "What's a Little Love Between Friends" was co-written with Smokey Robinson.[4] The final track "Let Me Be the First" was first cut by Deborah Allen for her 1984 album of the same name.[5]

Release and critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[6]

Steppin' Stone was released in conjunction with Capitol Records and Curb Records in September 1989. It was distributed in three formats: a vinyl LP, a cassette and a compact disc. It was Osmond's eighth studio album as a solo artist and her fourth with the Capitol/Curb labels.[4] It was later released decades later to digital retailers including Apple Music.[7] The album was given positive reviews by critics and publications following its release. Cashbox magazine called the album "expertly produced" that allows Osmond's "true colors" to show through.[1] Billboard found that Jerry Crutchfield provided Osmond with a different vocal delivery: "Under Crutchfield's guidance, Osmond sings with more than usual force and conviction."[8]

Radio & Records did not highlight any specific songs or production techniques, but mentioned the album and wrote, "Today she is an in-demand live performer and continues to record stellar country albums."[9] AllMusic's Charlotte Dillon gave Steppin' Stone four out of five stars and wrote, "Marie Osmond steps a little away from the pop-heavy country she normally leans toward, for a little more straight country sound."[2]

Chart performance and singles[edit]

Steppin' Stone debuted on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart on November 18, 1989. It spent a total of six weeks there, reaching the number 68 position by December 2. It was Osmond's lowest-peaking album on the country chart.[10] A total of three singles were spawned from Steppin' Stone. Its first was the title track in August 1989.[11] It later reached number 70 on the US Hot Country Songs chart[12] and number 60 on the Canadian Country Tracks chart.[13] In November 1989, "Slowly But Surely" was issued as the album's second single.[14] It reached the number 75 position on the US country chart[12] and number 52 on the Canadian country chart.[13] "Let Me Be the First" was the final single released from the album and was issued by Capitol Records in circa early 1990.[15] It failed to chart on the US country chart[12] but reached number 75 on the Canadian country chart.[13]

Track listing[edit]

Steppin' Stone (LP, CD, cassette and digital)[4][7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."What Would You Do About You (If You Were Me)"
3:36
2."Slowly But Surely"
2:56
3."What's in It for Me"
  • Ron Hellard
  • Jones
  • Shapiro
3:15
4."Steppin' Stone"
3:43
5."What's a Little Love Between Friends"
3:59
6."If You Think About It, Call Me"
  • Garvin
  • Shapiro
3:41
7."Help Me Get Over You"
3:51
8."A Too Blue Moon"
3:33
9."Love Speaks Louder Than Words"
2:37
10."Let Me Be the First"
3:38

Personnel[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Steppin' Stone.[4]

  • Tommy Steele – art direction
  • Carry Summers – assistant engineer

Chart performance[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[16] 68

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Indonesia September 1989 Cassette
  • Capitol Records
  • Curb Records
 [17]
North America
  • Vinyl LP
  • cassette
  • compact disc
 [4]
circa 2010
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Curb Records [7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "COUNTRY MUSIC: ALBUM RELEASES" (PDF). Cashbox. September 9, 1989. p. 27. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Dillon, Charlotte. "Steppin' Stone: Marie Osmond: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. ^ Huey, Steve. "Marie Osmond Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Osmond, Marie (September 1989). "Steppin' Stone (Liner Notes)". Capitol Records/Curb Records. CDP-7-91781-2 (CD); C1-91781 (LP); C4-91781 (Cassette).
  5. ^ Allen, Deborah (1984). "Let Me Be the First (Liner Notes)". RCA Records. AHL1-5318 (LP).
  6. ^ Allmusic review
  7. ^ a b c "Steppin' Stone -- Album by Marie Osmond". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  8. ^ "ALBUM REVIEWS" (PDF). Billboard. September 19, 1989. p. 96. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  9. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. 1989. p. 67. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums: 1967-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0898201241.
  11. ^ Osmond, Marie (August 1989). ""Steppin' Stone"/"What Would You Do About You (If You Were Me)" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. B-44412.
  12. ^ a b c "Marie Osmond chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Search results for "Marie Osmond" (Country Singles)". RPM. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  14. ^ Osmond, Marie (November 1989). ""Slowly But Surely"/"What Would You Do About You (If You Were Me)" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. B-44468.
  15. ^ Osmond, Marie (1990). ""Let Me Be the First"/"What's a Little Love Between Friends" (7" vinyl single)". Capitol Records. B-44505.
  16. ^ "Marie Osmond Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Osmond, Marie (September 1989). "Steppin' Stone [Indonesia]". Capitol Records/Curb Records. TC-C1-91781 (Cassette).
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