Search - Barbra Streisand :: Love is the Answer (Deluxe Edition)

DISC 2! DISC 2! DISC2!

A* | New York, N.Y. United States | 09/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Taken as a whole, this album is stunning. But the revelation is DISC 2! I have been loving Barbra Streisand for ages. I remember when my mother first introduced me to the sound of her voice as a little girl. I was enthralled with the sheer beauty of it. There is such an unnerving assuredness to her vocals that you just can't be denied. She will always be one of the most superlative stylists when it comes to lyrical interpretation. She is just so marvelous at it that you just forget about how gifted she is with phrasing and just fall and wrap yourself in the lushness of her voice.



Disc 2 allows that pure lushness in her tone to shine. It doesn't have the swell of the orchestra, it is more paired down and her voice as we all know has aged marvelously. As she has aged, and we have as well, you're not only startled by its clarity but also by its richness of tone. When she sings the opening lines of "Here's to Life: No complaints and no regrets/I Still Believe in Chasing dreams and placing bets," you just know its experience she's drawing from.



The album works so well because as a loyal fan, or a newcomer, there is a pacing that builds up a relationship with the listener. A natural intimacy is achieved with DISC 2. Songs such as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and "Make Someone Happy," have an immediacy that can't go unacknowledged. Especially with "Make Someone Happy," the woman can still belt that is well known, but here she reigns it in, giving just enough to draw you in closer and closer but not fudging you on the context of the lyric; a lovely rendition.



A beautiful album from a beautiful, gifted legend."

Ask Barbra, she knows!

C. Kingsley | 09/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Deluxe Edition is simply superb. No question, this is unequivocally, one of Streisand's best albums in years!



Barbra Streisand, the entertainment grande dame, returns with one of her most beautiful albums in a long time! With an exquisite cover and marvelous artists at the controls.. Love is the Answer is a truly a marvelous recording. The shimmering stings and harp glissando outro on "Gentle Rain", makes those rainy nights seem irresistible. "Make Someone Happy" can make even the hardest music critic misty eyed. It is any wonder that this album was co-produced by Tommy LiPuma? (he worked with Natalie Cole on her Grammy sweeping tour-de-force "Unforgettable" in 1991.) Not at all, the album is a perfect collaboration between Diana Krall, LiPuma, Streisand and Johnny Mandel. At 67, Streisand's voice is at once both mature and still stunningly beautiful.



What makes this album so fantastic is the conviction in Barbra's voice. She knows better any other vocalist the art of delivery. The emotional clarity, lyric phrasing, depth and how to get across her message through the orchestration and her own innate musical abilities. Not only with the deluxe album is a listen given a chance to hear Streisand with the beautiful orchestral touches of Mandel, but on Disc 2, Diana Krall's genius skills are a beautiful compliment to the "One Voice." The emotion is palpable in and throughout "Love is the Answer".



Streisand doesn't need to gyrate, or hide behind flashy production. She is the master at giving many a listener what they don't know they really want: clarity, emotional, lyrical depth and a vocal ability unmatched.



Why should we rush? Light some candles, put a few logs on the fire for that nippy evening. "Love is the Answer" is an album tailored made for an evening of solitude or that special moment with a lover.



Favourite Tracks: In the Wee Small Hours, Gentle Rain, Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most, Make Someone Happy, A Time For Love, Here's That Rainy Day, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and Some Other Time are just MARVELOUS with both orchestra and the quartet!



Save yourself the aggravation of reading the Billboard or Entertainment Weekly reviews of the album. Find out how much of a gem our Streisand still is and ALWAYS will be for yourself!!!



Ask Barbra, she knows not only a thing or two about Love and how to "Make Someone Happy" but that indeed, Love is the Answer!



"

Five Star Streisand!

new yorker | nyc | 09/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Barbra Streisand releases her best CD in years. The song selection is impeccable and her delivery is OUTSTANDING. You better prepare yourself for goose bumps and a few tears as well. She is without a doubt one of the best interpreters of romantic standards of all time(Where Do You Start is heartbreaking). I cannot believe how she takes familiar songs and imbues them with such feeling that it is like you are hearing them for the first time(Make Someone Happy and If You Go Away are prime examples). I guess that is why we are still fascinated by her 40 some years later. Bravo!!!"