Even before their first session together, Barbra Streisand and collaborator Diana Krall designed Love Is the Answer as a deeply emotional record: "each song an exploration concerning matters of the heart." And with the arrangements of maestro Johnny Mandel simply drawing occasional shading around Streisand's expressive voice -- and often leaving her voice as the only instrument -- the album goes well beyond the usual saloon-song tropes to become a heart-wrenching experience with virtually every song. Additionally, although much was made of the collaboration, Krall's piano stays in the background, and Streisand's is the only voice heard. But the song choices also were tailored to maximize the emotional impact of Love Is the Answer, and Streisand's incomparable voice. Nearly every song is a classic of tender balladry, despite the fact that none had been put on album by Streisand before during her long career. Those facts alone should leave Streisand fans in ecstasy, as practically nothing stands in the way of her voice as she sings some of the best songs of the last century, aching and sincere with every melancholy or lovelorn ballad, tenderly strident with every (ultimately) uplifting anthem. "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" opens up like a flower akin to some of her best performances, and the same goes for "Make Someone Happy," composed by the classic team of Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (Styne composed the music for Streisand's Funny Girl). Elsewhere, more classics of the American songbook -- "Here's That Rainy Day," "Where Do You Start?," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Gentle Rain" -- prove themselves irresistible to the Barbra Streisand treatment. The overall effect is that this is one of the Streisand albums most appealing to her fans and her potential fans -- which includes nearly everyone who appreciates a singer singing like she's lived every line of her songs.
It looks like Barbra Streisand will miss topping the charts with her new album, Love is the Answer, by a slim amount. Paramour's Brand New Eyes appears to be the winner of the race with Streisand and Mariah Carey for sales in the just completed week, selling somewhere in the area of 185,000 copies to Streisand's 177,000 and Carey's 173,000. Final numbers will be announced Wednesday and the ...
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Barbra Streisand "Love Is The Answer" Official Album Cover Here's the official album cover for Love Is The Answer in stores September 29th. Comments/Thoughts Share and Enjoy:
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Barbra Streisand's jazz influenced album, Love is the Answer, hits stores on September 29 and the final track line-up has been announced.The album features Diana Krall's quartet as the basis for all the tracks, with orchestrations added by multi-Grammy winner Johnny Mandel. In a unique twist, a deluxe 2-CD version of the album will include a disc with all of the songs with Streisand backed onl...
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Columbia Records announced the September 29 release of Barbra Streisand's new album Love is the Answer. This is Streisand's first new studio album since 2005's Guilty Pleasures.The album will be based around jazz and pop standards although a track list has not been announced. Streisand worked with Diana Krall and her quartet "who brought a refined and sensual poignancy to the album's spare an...
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Barbara Streisand gets ready for the release of her new album, Love is the Answer, with an intimate performance at New York's Village Vanguard on Saturday, September 26. She last performed at the venue in 1961 as opening act for Miles Davis.Tickets for the event will be free but only available to those who have pre-ordered the new CD or have registered at Streisand's website.Then, on October 1...
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So...grandmothers are apparently the only demographic who still haven't figured out fliesharing. Barbra Streisand Surprises With Ninth No. 1 On Billboard 200: 1. Barbra Streisand - "Love Is the Answer" - 180,000 2. Paramore - "Brand New Eyes" - 175,000...
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Our weekly recap of veteran artists on the current Canadian music charts. Chart highlights:For the second week in a row, Barbra Streisand has the top album by a veteran artist in Canada as Love is the Answer moves from 4 to 3. Madonna's Celebration sticks at number 5.New to the Album chart this week is Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart, debuting at 33, and the Flaming Lips' Embryonic which p...
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Our weekly recap of veteran artists on the current Canadian music charts. Chart highlights:It's now three weeks for Barbra Streisand as the top album by a veteran artist. Love is the Answer falls 3 to 9, keeping two spots ahead of Madonna who falls 5 to 11.The biggest debut for a veteran goes to Loreena McKennitt whose Mediterranean Odyssey debuts at 11 in a tie with Madonna.Also debuting thi...
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