Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than it's reputation., June 10, 2003
I would actually give this poorly-received album three-and-a-half stars. Barbra's third, and last, contemporary pop album of the eighties naturally can't compare to GUILTY, her pop masterpiece. However, TILL I LOVED YOU is much better than the dreadfully uneven EMOTION, her pop disaster. Even though there are six producers credited for the album's 11 tracks, the whole recording sounds remarkably solid and cohesive for a pop outing. The songs, while nothing groundbreaking, are also significantly stronger than those on EMOTION. The material makes better use of Streisand's voice, and it all sounds appropriate for her - you never get the feeling that she's slumming.
The ever-faithful Bergmans provide lyrics to three standout selections, with music by Michael Lengrand ("On My Way To You"), Alan Hawkshaw ("Why Let Go?"), and Streisand herself ("Two People"). The Bergmans are possibly the best lyricists to write for Barbra's phenomenal phrasing, and while these songs may not rank among their very best, they are all quite good. While I don't necessarily care for his plays in their entirety, I will admit that Andrew Lloyd Webber has written some terrific theatrical, pseudo-pop songs. Taken from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, "All I Ask Of You" is one of Webber's best, and Barbra's beautifully understated rendition is the definitive performance of the song.
I love many of Burt Bacharach's compositions with Hal David in the sixties, but I'm not usually a very big fan of his more generic work with Carole Bayer Sager. However, the trio of songs written and produced by Bacharach and Singer ("Love Light," "You And Me For Always," and "One More Time Around") are pleasantly melodic and not as saccharine as the majority of the couple's material. The Quincy Jones-produced "The Places You Find Love" may be typically overproduced, but Barbra's commanding, soulful performance still shines through.
The songs submitted by relatively unknown writers (Scott Cutier and Antonina Armato's "What Were We Thinking Of" and Mark Radice's "Some Good Things Never Last") are also perfectly fine. The track that unarguably gets the most criticism is the hit Don Johnson duet "Till I Loved You" (#25 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary), which was taken from Mark Yeston's ill-fated musical GOYA. However, the collaboration has held up surprisingly well, and I respect the duo for choosing a song that is a bit more sophisticated than the typical pop duet.
Despite the negative reviews it received from critics, TILL I LOVED YOU was yet another Top Ten, Platinum album for Streisand, and in many ways it plays better today than it did when originally released. Even though it doesn't contain anything that she hasn't done better before, TILL I LOVED YOU is still a perfectly good album that most of Streisand's fans will probably enjoy.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A "C" For an "A" Artist, December 4, 2001
Barbara's 1988 release can be best described as "average Streisand." That assessment still makes it far superior to the works of those kids that are currently topping the pop charts, but for Barbara this one could have been better.Starting off poorly with the overly done Quincy Jones' produced "Places You Find Love," la Streisand gets back to normalcy with the exquisite "On My Way to You," with music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman. The third cut is a duet with then-beau Don Johnson ("Till I Loved You"). This is the third time in her life when Streisand was paired with a singer of lesser skills (the first being Donna Summer on the disco classic "No More Tears" and the second being the Grammy-winning "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"). While Summer and Diamond can be commended for their attempts to match Streisand in dynamics, Johnson is obviously ill equipped to sing with Babs. Still, the song is worth a listen. The Burt Bacharach-Carole Bayer Sager tunes "Love Light" and "You and Me For Always" are typical 80's MOR. Streisand's talent saves these rather mediocre songs. Only Barbara can make a mundane song like "All I Ask of You" (from "The Phantom of the Opera") work. One of the best tracks is "Why Let It Go" co written by Alan Hawkshaw, Alan & Marilyn Bergman with title by Barry Mason. This lament for a shattered romance allows Barbara the "room" to show what has made her a star for almost four decades. "Two People," with music contributed by the singer herself, is a delicious piece of "ear candy." Johnson returns as background vocalist on "What Were We Thinking Of" and his contribution helps this midtempo "B" tune. He just shows the strain of trying to keep up with Barbara. "Some Good Things Never Last" and the final one "One More Time Around" (another by Bacharach and Sager with Keane) are standard Streisand. Like I said earlier, the singer can take the ordinary and make it something extraordinary. She does that with these two.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Love the Don/Barbra duet, July 8, 2000
I think Don Johnson's singing is fantastic on "Till I loved you."Don doesn't try to out sing Barbra,who can?Why do people keep putting down this great duet? I'm still not tired of this song,and it was a top twenty hit in billboard."The Places you find Love," has everybody famous singing backup for Barbra. I really enjoyed this CD ,but the Don Johnson,Barbra Streisand duet is my favorite.
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