Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Partners
(Sony)
Duet albums come with a built-in commercial safety net. Even if the popularity of the headline artist is fading, the album might sell if a judicious selection of singing partners have their names prominently displayed on the cover, enticing their fans to pick up a copy.
Barbra Streisand's name is not fading - that said, the "Barbra" bit has gone completely as Sony market her latest release purely as "Streisand" - and she remains more than a match for any of the artists joining her in the studio, including Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Elvis Presley (this album's electronically resurrected legend and a terrible vocal mismatch).
This isn't Streisand's first such project - the compilation Duets was released in 2002 - but it's a format worth returning to because she does find new routes into familiar songs when she has someone to play against.
It Had To Be You begins as a ballad before hitting Michael Buble's relaxed big-band tempo; Come Rain Or Come Shine feeds off the jazzy blues of John Mayer's worn voice and wailing guitar; I Still Can See Your Face has a more formal mirrored style that suits the operatic notes brought by Andrea Bocelli.
There's nothing subtle here, however, so skip the sentimental mush of Evergreen (with Babyface) and How Deep Is The Ocean (with her son Jason Gould).
ALAN MORRISON
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