What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics of Alan And Marilyn Bergman (Deluxe Edition) (2 CDs)

Barbra Streisand | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 23, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B0058A119G
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,551 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The incomparable Barbra Streisand"s long-cherished desire to release an album of music with lyrics exclusively written by her collaborators and friends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, is achieved on What Matters Most- Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

The new album, which Streisand personally produced, is comprised of ten Bergman songs which Streisand has never previously recorded. Included in the set are the Academy Award winning songs "The Windmill of your Mind" (from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair); "So Many Stars" (originally a hit song for Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66); "Nice 'n' Easy" (popularized by Frank Sinatra); and "That Face" (first recorded by Fred Astaire) . The CD is packaged in a jewel box with a 24-page color booklet.

Reflecting on her long-held desire to devote an entire album to the amazingly varied and consistently inspired music of the Bergmans, Streisand noted, "Alan and Marilyn Bergman have a remarkable gift for expressing affairs of the heart."
The affection and respect between lyricists and artist is quite wonderful. "When we write a song, we hear Barbra," said lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. "She makes the connection from the heart to the mind, and it emerges through her voice."
Deluxe edition includes a second CD featuring ten previously released performances of Barbra singing the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman including "The Way We Were", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", "Papa Can You Hear Me?" and "Pieces of Dreams".

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Songs By A Classic Singer August 23, 2011

By Polar Bear

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Barbra Streisand is one of the most successful entertainers of our time. She has won 2 Academy Awards, 8 Grammy Awards, 4 Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute Award and a Peabody Award. Also, she is the best selling female artist on the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) list and the only female in the top 10. Plus has had 31 albums reach Billboard's top ten. She is also the only artist to ever achieve number 1 albums in 5 different decades. Quite impressive, and now she is back with the follow up to 2009's "Love is the Answer." "What Matter's Most" is Streisand's 33rd studio album and she hasn't missed a beat! This two disc set is a collection of songs by Alan and Marilyn Bergman (whom she won Academy Awards with for "Yentl" and "The Way We Were"). Produced by Streisand herself, disc 1 contains Bergman songs she has never before recorded. Disc 2 (on the Deluxe Edition only) is a set of previously recorded songs. Included with a colorful 24 page booklet, Streisand proves yet again she is an extremely talented singer.

"Windmills Of My Mind" (from 1968's "The Thomas Crown Affair") is the opening track and Streisand sounds beautiful, elegant, and as smooth as honey. She hits every note perfectly and shows the dynamic range that made her famous. Another highlight is "Nice n Easy," a song made classic by Frank Sinatra in which she sounds absolutely splendid. Sinatra sang it as a song about falling in love. Streisand's version is a song of seduction; of making love from a woman's point of view. "Alone in the World" is a love song, and this is what she does best. Sounding pure, vibrant yet subtle, the sound is simply amazing. A trumpet solo by Chris Botti adds texture and contributes wonderfully to the sound. "So Many Stars" was originally a hit song by Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66. Streisand adds her own personal touches to this song and can still hit the high notes even at age 69. Featuring an awesome Brazilian beat, she sings Bergman's lyrics in Portuguese. For those of you keeping track, that now makes a total of 8 languages that she has sung in! "What Matters Most" is the closing track, and leaves you wanting more. From the Jon Voight film "The Champ," the lyrics are beautiful, almost as if they were written with Streisand's voice in mind. Streisand is the rare singer who can touch your soul as you listen, and these amazing songs will linger long after you shut off your music player. Highly recommended!!!!

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST WORK IN TEN YEARS August 27, 2011

By S.S.

Format:Audio CD

Shes back and sounds better than ever!! For those who keep saying they enjoyed her earlier style, um get with the times, shes 69 and do you really expect her to still sound that way and do the same thing??
This is her best album in almost ten years and blows Love Is the Answer out of the water. This work really reminds me of A Love Like Ours, but a little more upbeat in a way. This is very jazzy, calming, lush, evoking, sexy. Her voice is in amazing condition and you would never know her age by listening. Sure some notes are bit deeper than they once were, but she still has it and there are high octaves here that soar that were missing from 2009's Love is the Answer. This is sweeping, cinema epic, and you can tell the care and research that went into getting this just right. This album also reminds me a little bit of Christmas Memories in its vocal style. Yes you dont go driving down the road cranking up the base expecting a dance beat album for goodness sakes, this is pure classic Streisand that makes you feel and reflect and wonder. I think I read another review on here that said this album reminds the person again why they are a fan, and that is the best way to sum it up. Congratulations Barbra, you have brought it home and then some! Oh and Windmills On My Mind, was never a fan of that song, but wow she owns it now. It just takes you away. More than ten songs would have been nice, but I see why she did it this way. It keeps it cozy and compact, plus the bonus disc of her older songs is a great combo package with the new.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One To Own September 8, 2011

By H. L. Dietor

Format:Audio CD

I'm not a die-hard Streisand fan. I love lots of what she's done, and actually always like her in her movies. But, her albums for me, well, some I really like and others, mehh, not so much. I have to admit that I have always respected her willingness to change, expand, grow, and try new things. I also know for most of us, we want our artists to stay in exactly the place we found them and fell in love with them; it's a real push-pull.

Lots of her albums, I've given away. I just wasn't in love with them; some of her music has been too over the top for me. But this one? This one is just wonderful. It's a testament to her gift and her vision. She loves these songs and it shows in each track. I love the sublime tempos, the quality and depth of her voice, the arrangements, and the Bergmans are exceptionally complex writers that make their songs worth repeated hearings. All of it comes together to make a collection worth owning. And, for those who may like her earlier works more, it does remind me of the velvet tones she is obviously able to still produce.

The world is so hectic and harsh these days...what a gift to have something that you can wrap yourself in like your favorite blanket.

Thank you for this collection. It is silky, soft, satisfying, sultry, and superb.