Search - Barbra Streisand :: Wet

An album waiting to be (re) discovered

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wet is a somewhat underrated Barbra Streisand album with the theme of water in all of the songs. It's actually a fine concept album that stands the test of time; people still buy this on CD today and that's grand. Barbra is in excellent form here; her voice is as clear as a bell and she can hit any note she desires. The duet she performs with Donna Summer, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," made the airwaves sizzle back when it was originally released and it was played in clubs everywhere! In addition, the quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork incorporates the artwork from the original record album release.



The album starts with the title song, "Wet." Barbra sings this passionately and it comes off sounding great. She handles complex tempo and key changes like the pro she always is! "Come Rain or Come Shine" has a 70's flavor to the arrangement and it all holds its own very well. Barbra never skips a beat and I love it! "Splish Splash" uses the guitars to great advantage and I would like to think that Bobby Darin would have liked this version of this number. True, "Splish Splash" may not be the strongest number on the album but it is done very, very well.



"On Rainy Afternoons" is another tune that gets a most sensitive treatment from Barbra Streisand and she delivers it faultlessly. The arrangement for the piano enhances the natural beauty of this ballad, too. "After the Rain" has a similar feel to "On Rainy Afternoons;" and so I can see why some people would say that perhaps the very aggressive number "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" with Donna Summer doesn't quite fit in. I, however, think it works well not just independently but also within the other songs on this CD; there's nothing wrong with occasionally changing gears and Barbra does this in style. Donna Summer is very good as well.



"Niagara" is a beautiful ballad that Barbra performs without a flaw; and the music fits in perfectly with her vocals. Wisely, however, the musicians never even try to steal the show from Streisand; she remains squarely front and center which is right where she belongs! "I Ain't Gonna Cry Tonight" is energetic and dynamic; I really like this number. The CD ends very well with Barbra Streisand performing "Kiss Me in the Rain;" this leaves me wanting to push the reply button on my CD player to hear the entire album all over again--and I often do just that!



Wet is an amazing Barbra Streisand album and it's clearly a must-have for her fans. It also has a terrific `70s flavor to it that I enjoy so much; and people who like concept albums from the world's greatest entertainers like Streisand would do well to get this for their collections."