Dedicated to The Best Vocalist There Ever Was
This week in Babs: NEW ALBUM NEW ALBUM NEW ALBUM!! It's called What Matters Most, and features songs penned exclusively by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. This is huge. Why, you ask? Because the Bergmans specialize in poetic, deeply emotional lyrics--the kind Barbra can really sink her teeth into. Indeed, they're responsible for crafting two of her all-time biggest hits--"Papa Can You Hear Me?" and "The Way We Were". Following the standards-heavy Love Is the Answer, What Matters Most provides even more encouraging evidence that Streisand is back on track after several regrettable forays into gooey pop music. This is Babs. Hear her roar. Just don't talk to me about the album cover.
Babs gone by: Streisand once said that, of all her hits, "The Way We Were" is her very favorite to perform, and "People" her least favorite. Too bad it's the one we all want to hear.
Fun fact: Barbra's childhood idol was Marlon Brando. They later became long-distance buddies, with Streisand frequently serenading him over the phone.
The track: To celebrate all the Bergman bliss headed our way, here's a beautiful 2006 rendition of their "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The title question is scored so it goes directly up the scale, a move that could seem tacky but instead works wonders thanks to Streisand's luxuriant, elongated delivery. Her studio version is also a smash, but I prefer this live recording, burnished by a slight rasp on some of the longer notes and delivered with a lifetime of emotional experience behind it. Listen!
