Essential Barbra Streisand, The - Barbra Streisand

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Not applicable
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Voice like a human that cares .
Disadvantages:	Some people don;t like her .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

You may love her, you may hate her, you may think her work slushy and sentimental, although even those who do not particularly like Barbra Streisand cannot deny that the woman has a voice, and a wonderfully powerful tool as such. The range of her voice is astounding. I am a musician myself and she always amazes me by the number of octaves that her voice can cover.

Over the years, I have had many LPs by Barbra Streisand (Yes, I did say that right), although I have moved a lot in my life and somehow lost copies in the midst of moving and when I saw this album of Barbra Streisand, I was impressed because really it covers all the albums I had lost in one collection. This is a double CD and the listings are impressive.

Disc 1

1. A Sleepin' Bee2.Cry Me A River3. I Stayed Too Long At The Fair4. Lover, Come Back To Me5. People6. My Man7. Second Hand Rose8. He Touched Me9. Don't Rain On My Parade10. Happy Days Are Here Again (from A Happening In Central Park)11. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) 12. Stoney End13. Since I Fell For You14. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?15. The Way We Were (from solo album)16. All In Love Is Fair17. Lazy Afternoon18. Evergreen (Love Theme from "A Star Is Born")19. My Heart Belongs To Me20. You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Duet with Neil Diamond)21. The Main Event/Fight22. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (Duet with Donna Summer)
Disc 2
1. Woman In Love2. Guilty (Duet with Barry Gibb)3. Comin' In And Out Of Your Life4. Memory5. Papa, Can You Hear Me?6. A Piece Of Sky7. Putting It Together8. Not While I'm Around9. Send In The Clowns 10. Somewhere11. All I Ask Of You12. Children Will Listen13. As If We Never Said Goodbye (from Back To Broadway)14. I Finally Found Someone (Duet with Bryan Adams)15. Tell Him (Duet with Celine Dion)16. I've Dreamed Of You17. Someday My Prince Will Come (Bonus Track/Previously Unreleased)18. You'll Never Walk Alone (Bonus Track/Previously Unreleased)

I am not impressed by all of the songs, because Barbra Streisand caters for all kinds of tastes, although the CD itself has most of my favourites. For example, when she sings Woman in Love, this is real love, this is where the emotions are raw and intarnished, and her voice is at its best. Guilty with Robin Gibb is one of her classics and a really worthy song. It’s one of the songs I listen to when I am on my own and maybe in a self indulgent mood. Her singing kind of sweeps over you, gets to your heart and soul, and I tend to turn it up and let it take me places that nostalgia is all about. Her rendition of Send in the Clowns is a super example of what Barbra does best, takes a song and devours it with passion.

What are you doing for the rest of your life ? Well, here we have a song that encompasses all that comes from true love. Ever wished someone asked you that ? Barbra makes it seem plausible. Tell Him with Celine Dion – that is timeless and a wonderful piece of intertwined artisty. You may not like Barbra Streisand but you cannot deny her professionalism and in this song, coupled with the soft, though strong tones of Celine Dion, there are times that you feel the words are so familiar and so real that you lose yourself in it.

You don’t bring me flowers with Neil Diamond. What can a girl say ? Yes, we all feel like this from time to time when our man forgets those little things that make a relationship into a romance, and this song tells the tale not only adequately but excelling in what us females feel sometimes when neglected by the ones we love.

My favourite of all time is Evergreen. All about love, all about how it should be – endless and evergreen. I truly love this song. Another favourite here is “The way we were” which conjures up images of Robert Redford in his prime. It’s a lovely song, and nostalgic as they get.

The album finishes with a song we all know and love “You’ll never walk alone” which is not from another album, this one was previously unreleased and is a tidy end to a superb album that gives you more than money can buy. This is £12.99 worth of pure self indulgence and lets face it, we are worth it.

Enjoy.