Streisand dazzles (as usual) on new CD of songwriters’ lyrics
THE WAY THEY WERE | Babs has sung the lyrics of Marilyn and Alan Bergman for decades; now she has an album dedicated to the songs she and others have made famous.
RICH LOPEZ | Staff Writer
lopez@dallasvoice.com
For Barbra Streisand, releasing an album is old hat… especially when she returns to the familiar. Her new album (dropping Tuesday) — her 33rd, following 2009’s Love is the Answer — What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, has been on her to-do list for some time: On it, she honors her frequent collaborators, who composed the lyrics to the Yentl soundtrack, “The Way We Were” and more.
It’s almost unfair to review Streisand anymore. Her production values are top-notch and there is no denying her voice still gorgeous after 50 years. For what she does, it’s perfection. Add to that her status as a music legend, especially among gay men, and nitpicks might seem blasphemous. But regardless of what the makers of Glee think, she’s still human, and while Matters works in the usual Streisand oeuvre, she also refrains in her tone.
On the opener, the Oscar winner “The Windmills of Your Mind,” Babs lets the construction shine more than her vocal interpretation, delivering drama but still holding back. Still, her voice is solid, like a perfect wine glass: delicate but sturdy. She continues such subtlety in subsequent tracks “Solitary Moon” and “Something New in My life” (where slight hints of grit in her voice are surprisingly refreshing).
She closes the 10-track album with songs that also rely on similar structure. Face it: She’s diva enough to not mind showing off. But her touches to “I’ll Never Say Goodbye” and the title track are exquisite.
Soon into the album, though, the impact is lessened. Covering Sinatra’s “Nice ‘n’ Easy” doesn’t fit her style. Streisand is not overly sexy, but this track needed to be flirty and sultry; instead she sounds like mom singing a silly “come hither” tune in front of all my friends. Awkward!
There is a downturn in the second half as “Alone in the World” and “So Many Stars” play on. They make less of an impression and she’s less engaged with the lyrics. An Academy Award-winning actress could put a little more emotion into it.
“The Same Hello, The Same Goodbye,” though, is a floating dream, and is easily a highlight, as is “That Face” performed jazzy and playfully. Streisand even sounds less on guard than her previous tracks, more relaxed.
For diehard fans, this is Streisand at her finest: Quality production, impeccable voice, timeless tunes. For the rest, this is the same over again. With nothing to prove, I wish she’d be more daring in her music the way she’s willing to be with her films (Little Fockers, anyone?).
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 19, 2011.
Do some research! What Matters Most is more like Streisand’s 65th album, not 33rd. And if she is such an icon, she should be reviewed with respect, not given a lazy business-as-usual type overview. Get someone who knows something about her kind of music, who can really let us know how this CD differs from her others–they all have an individual quality. She’s a great artist not a cookie cutter pop singer. Pull your head out of Lady Gaga’s ass and find out what it means to be a true enduring musical legend.
2 and 1/2 stars, really?! Are you bitter you didn’t get an invite to one of her movies? You try to be 69 and sing like she does. I guess you’ve never been a Barbra fan in the first place, I’m sure you were handed this assignment. I’m sure if this was Lady Gaga, you’d give it 5 stars – a typical move, for gays today.
Very poor review indeed. How could your headline shout “Streisand Dazzles” and then give the CD a paltry 2.5 star review. Nobody sings like Barbra anymore, she is a very rare and unique talent. This is a great collection of brand new and re released Bergman hits. I agree with previous posters Joni and Chris wholeheartedly! And yes Barbra passed her 33rd album decades ago!
To clarify, this is her 33rd studio album.
Damn, you all are sure taking this shit personally. As for typical moves, like tripping over yourself to jerk off over a Barbara Streisand album isn’t totally cliche?
Yes we take it personally! Ignorance of appreciation for the greatest voice of the century is unnerving! She deserves 10 stars!
Of course we take this personally. Music is meant to be personalized. It is evocative and expressive of emotion. You have to be a stone not to be moved — hence, not be taken personally — by music. Are you a stone that can write on the web, “matt”?
The reviewer himself noted that this “dazzling” album has “quality production (and) impeccable voice”. This is why his 2 and 1/2 stars rating is confusing and misleading.
Rich Lopez+DallasVoice=5 Star TRASH
You thought Little Fockers was daring? The kind of risk she should bring to her music? Yikes! It was a quick payday……this CD is her best in 15 years and very daring. Do some research. 5 stars for sure