| Product Summary | | Label: Cbs/epic/wtg Records | | UPC: 00886974335429 | | Release Date: 9/29/2009 | | Buy.com Sku: 211585493 | | Item#: M4QJMC | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Here's To Life ~ Barbra Streisand |  | | 2. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 3. Gentle Rain ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 4. If You Go Away [Ne Me Quitte Pas] ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 6. Make Someone Happy ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 7. Where Do You Start? ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 8. Time For Love, A ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 9. Here's That Rainy Day ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 10. Love Dance ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 11. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 12. Some Other Time ~ Barbra Streisand | | | 13. You Must Believe In Spring ~ Barbra Streisand | |
| | The first full-length collection of new studio recordings from eight-time Grammy award winner Barbra Streisand since 2005's Guilty Pleasures. Love Is The Answer showcases the artist as a singer of emotional clarity, depth and maturity, offering the listener a selection of heartfelt late-night meditations on love's powers, heartbreaks and solaces. It provides an opportunity for Streisand to work for the first time with the Grammy-winning Canadian jazz artist Diana Krall and her quartet (piano, guitar, bass, drums) who bring a refined and sensual poignancy to the album's sophisticated and subtle accompaniments. Rounding out the album's smoky after-hours ambience with his sublime orchestrations is the legendary songwriter ("The Shadow of Your Smile") and Grammy-winning arranger Johnny Mandel (who worked with Streisand on her 1993 Back to Broadway album and arranged/co-produced Krall's 1998 Grammy-winning When I Look In Your Eyes).
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Anthony Wilson (guitar); Jeff Hamilton (drums). | | Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt. | | Liner Note Authors: Diana Krall; Jay Landers ; Barbra Streisand. | | Photographers: John Clayton; Mary Maurer; Barbra Streisand. | | Arranger: Johnny Mandel. | | 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--often leaving that voice as the only instrument--the album goes well beyond the usual saloon-song tropes to become a heart-wrenching experience on virtually every track. Additionally, although much was made of the two divas' collaboration, Krall's piano stays in the background, and Streisand's is the only voice heard here. 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 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 susceptible to the Barbra Streisand treatment. The overall effect is that this is one of the Streisand albums most appealing to her fans and, more importantly, potential fans -- which should include anyone who appreciates a singer singing like she's lived every line of her songs. | | 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. ~ John Bush |
Producer: Diana Krall; Tommy LiPuma |
Engineer: Al Schmitt; Steve Genewick |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 09/29/2009 | | Original Release Date : 2009 | | Catalog ID : 43354 | | Label : Columbia (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00886974335429 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Billboard (p.36)
- "[T]here's no doubting whose show this is -- only Streisand could turn `Here's to Life' into such a soft-focus weeper." |
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| | Bio | | | Barbra Streisand Actress/singer/director/writer/composer/producer/designer/activist/philanthropist Barbra Streisand is the only artist ever to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, National Endowment for the Arts and Peabody Awards, as well as the American Film Institute"s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also the first female film director to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. She won Oscars for both Best Actress and Best Song Composer, and the three films she directed received 14 Oscar nominations. A leading film star in dramas, comedies and musicals, her latest film became the top-grossing live-action comedy ever. She has produced albums reaching number one in four consecutive decades and is the top album-selling female recording artist. A ten-time Grammy honoree, her 50 gold albums, 30 platinum albums,18 multi-platinum albums and 29 top ten albums are all records for female singers. Her civil rights activism and philanthropic pursuits are just as impressive. The Streisand Foundation has given millions of dollars to 700 non-profit organizations and she has raised many millions more through her performances. The career of Barbra Streisand has been paved with bold, creative achievements and highlighted by a series of firsts.
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