Barbra Streisand the Love Inside
Listening to Barbra Streisand sing any song is pure joy. She takes singing to a level that few have achieved in their careers.
I have never seen her in concert. Something that I would like to correct. Even if I sit in the nosebleed seats, it is a memory I will cherish forever.
Filmmaker
Although she is a singer, she is also an actress-turned-filmmaker, singing songs written specifically for her movies. As a filmmaker, she is unparalleled. Surprisingly, they missed the Oscar radar a couple of times. Yentl comes to mind, and The Mirror Has Two Faces. Both films came from Barbra’s heart, which is clear.
Based on a bestseller, she directed and starred in The Prince of Tides. It might not be as personal as the others, but she still sings.
Love Is The Answer
It surprised me to hear that this is her only jazz release. It’s the only jazz album with Barbra singing so well.
“I hated singing. I wanted to be an actress. But I don’t think I’d have made it any other way.”— Barbra Streisand.
“Love is the Answer”
Listening to Barbra Streisand sing jazz standards is not a dream. You can hear her recording on her album Love Is the Answer. If you are a substantial Streisand fan, you know about this album. If you are not a fan but an admirer, this may be the first time you’ve ever heard that she is also a jazz singer.
Streisand’s Love Is the Answer arrived on the streets and radio airwaves in 2009. She sings as if the songs are part of her being, performing them with a passion for jazz. “It’s a toast to life,” Barbra explained in an interview.
Barbra Streisand’s album Love Is the Answer came out in 2009. When she sings, it’s like the jazz songs are part of her being performed with passion. “It’s a toast to life,” Barbra explained in an interview.
Barbra Streisand Live in Concert DVD
Love is the Answer, followed by Live In Concert 2006. Not bad for a three-year break, Barbra sings the notes and lyrics like she is on stage in a cabaret. Each song is jazzy, like an emotional dream. The depth and maturity of her renditions are deep. It’s like cherishing the first dawn reflections of past sorrows, hoping for kindhearted comforts.
The jazz album offered Barbra the opportunity to collaborate with the Grammy-winning jazz pianist Diana Krall—her quartet, comprising bass, guitar, and drums, showcases finesse. The tenderness is in delicate and understated compositions. Barbra and Diana never worked together until this project. You cannot tell because the music flows seamlessly and blends.
Grammy Winner Arranger
Barbra experienced an exclusive pleasure during the studio recording of the album. Working with celebrated songwriter and Grammy-winning arranger Johnny Mandel completed the creation. Mandel had been in the studio before with Barbra in 1993 while recording her Back to Broadway album. He worked with Diane before arranging and co-producing. The outcome was Krall’s 1998 Grammy-winning jazz album When I Look in Your Eyes. The familiarity and talent in the studio make it easy to understand Mandel’s work. He brought his awe-inspiring orchestrations to their collaboration on Love is Answer.
Listening to the standards, some of them held my love for them. “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning” was sung by legends like Frank Sinatra. “If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” is a version of the Jacques Brel standard presented in English and French. “Spring Can Hang You Up” is one of those songs Barbra sang back in a St. Louis club when she was only 18. The same version is on the album, marking the first-ever studio performance of this standard.
“There is nothing more important in life than love.”— Barbra Streisand
Bossa Nova Movie
“Gentle Rain” is a tender bossa nova performance. Derived from Black Orpheus, a movie that presented the rhythm style of Brazilian music,” Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” is a pensively sad and melancholy standard. First written in 1933 for Roberta, an operetta on Broadway by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, indicates the transformation of the rendition. Nat “King” Cole performed the song, as did the Platters and other great talents. “Some Other Time” is a jewel and is rarely presented with the music arranged by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden.
“Barbra Streisand is without a doubt one of the most honest people I have ever known. There is no doubt in my mind that she will not be doing any more concerts. Of course, she still will be making records and starring and directing in movies.”— Marvin Hamlisch. Composer
Jazz Standards
Jazz standards tickle my ears and fill my heart with delight. Barbra Streisand sings them on Love Is Answer, and I hear pure joy. Of all the songs on the album, I pick “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” my ultimate favorite. I praise Frank Sinatra’s version of this standard, and Barbra’s version is frothy, despondent and enchanting.