Love Is the Answer

( 61 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - John Bush
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...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - John Bush
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.
Entertainment Weekly - Leah Greenblatt
Her album of languid, impeccably arranged standards, Love Is the Answer, seems swathed in champagne bubbles and black velvet. [B+]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/29/2009
  • Label: Sony
  • UPC: 886974335429
  • Catalog Number: 743354
  • Sales rank: 7,383

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Barbra Streisand Primary Artist
Alan Broadbent Piano, Conductor
Jeff Hamilton Drums
Robert Hurst Bass
Bill Charlap Piano
John Clayton Bass
Paulinho Da Costa Percussion
Johnny Mandel Conductor
Diana Krall Piano
William Ross Conductor
Anthony Wilson Guitar, Conductor
Tamir Hendelman Piano
Technical Credits
Leonard Bernstein Composer
Barbra Streisand Liner Notes
Luiz Bonfá Composer
Ivan Lins Composer
Alan Broadbent Arranger
Michel Legrand Composer
David Mann Composer
Jacques Brel Composer
Rod McKuen Composer
Jerome Kern Composer
Alan Bergman Composer
Marilyn Bergman Composer
Johnny Burke Composer
Artie Butler Composer
Betty Comden Composer
Adolph Green Composer
Otto Harbach Composer
Bob Hilliard Composer
Jay Landers Liner Notes
Tommy LiPuma Producer
Johnny Mandel Arranger, Composer
Gilson Peranzzetta Composer
Al Schmitt Engineer
Jule Styne Composer
James Van Heusen Composer
Paul Francis Webster Composer
Paul Williams Composer
Diana Krall Producer, Liner Notes
Tommy Wolf Composer
Anthony Wilson Arranger
Steve Genewick Engineer
Fran Landesman Composer
Matt Dubey Composer
Phyllis Molinary Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 61 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(21)

4 Star

(14)

3 Star

(12)

2 Star

(6)

1 Star

(8)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 61 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Love Is The Answer Barbra Streisand

    I'm surprised that anybody could dislike this album. Had Barbra recorded more songs from the Great American Songbook it surely would have been just same-old same-old.
    Yes, Barbra performs like an instrument at times, perhaps oblivious to the lyric. but it's a great instrumental performance, intelligent, explorative, just simply enchanting. Krall's accompaniment draws the jazz side of Streisand out into the open, rendering the songs in a subdued fashion, and in a way that's more demanding on the singer.

    This is not an album that will grow on me. It doesn't have to.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 14, 2011

    Highly recommended!

    Streisand continues to amaze me with her voice. She has class and selects the perfect songs and those she collaborates with on each album are always the best. She enunciates(!) each word so beautifully and each tone is.....words escape me. In talent I equate her to Frank Sinatra. I consider each song honored to be sung by either of them.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    didn't like it

    one of my least favorite Streisand albums

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    NOT THE SAME STREISAND

    My favorite female vocalist over the years has been Barbra Streisand, but this album just didn't match the Streisand that I've come to love. I can't give this one more than average.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Newest, but not necessarily her best.

    I was a little disappointed--not much variety. But it was quintessential Barbra.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Love Is The Answer

    Don't waste your money. Replay her older recordings, much better. Babra is very uninteresting and not worth all the hype.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Barbra strikes the perfect chord as always. Listening brings great pleasure.

    She lifts the spirit and sends you soaring into the ethers as she brings her soul into her music. Looking forward to any work she brings forth.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Disappointing CD

    I love Barbra Streisand, but this CD was a disappointment and I don't think up to her potential. The music was too slow and melancoly for me.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Another boring Diana Krall production

    Very low key, good for falling asleep. Plus Barbra's voice is showing some age. Which is okay, but the album overall is a snooze.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Streisand

    Classy and elegant as ever.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    I Dreamed a Dream

    Enjoyable and Warm.

    My overall rating for this recording is 4 Star.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    two sales!

    I gave this as a gift to my Mom after she mentioned reading about it in the Dallas newspaper. She was so thrilled with it that she purchased another copy to give to her sister.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    A die-hard Barbara fan!

    Great album, among her best. She just gets better and better.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Wonderful!

    Hard to miss with Ms. Streisand! Lovely lovely lovely!

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Just Barbara

    If you like listening to a beautiful voice, you'll like this album. It's always amazing to me that Barbara couldn't read music when she first started. How great she still is. You won't believe how pure her voice sounds.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Barbra does it again.

    Soothing, predictably wonderful. However, She might have taken more gambles on her song choices. There are lots of nice newer love songs.

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    Love that voice!!

    So glad to have another Barbra CD...I only like a few of the songs but her voice is beautiful as usual on all of them

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Beautiful

    The quality and sound was fabulous. The content was beautiful. Very nice easy listening music, but not something that I would sit down and concentrate on listening to.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Barbara

    I am a huge fasn of Barbara's and have lots of my albums & CD's. The last 2 CD's to me were not worth the money. I hear a sound from this CD on The View and really enjoyed it and that is the sound I bought this CD. The song was not the same on the CD as on The View. I give it to the my girlfriend and she returned it. I am so waiting for her to put out one that I can listen it and enjoy. Sorry Barbara.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best Streisand album in years

    I love the album and listen to it often.

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 61 Customer Reviews