Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barbra's Best Studio Album of the 90's!, November 24, 1999
I started listening to Streisand in 1980 with her "Guilty" album and it took a long time before I was able to appreciate the unique magic of her earliest recordings (e.g "The Second Barbra Streisand Album"). "A Love Like Ours" is the best of two worlds for me, it matches her more mature vocal of today with classics songs new and old, like "Isn't It A Pity" and "If You Ever Leave Me". I am hoping that if Barbra does release a 3rd single that "If I Didn't Love You" is it, I just can't get Barbra's beautiful lower notes out of my mind! Naturally, I would love to hear Barbra also record an album of new contemporary music, even to have some of her songs remixed for club play... but I have to say that those who are reviewing this album negatively have very little real sense of exactly what kind of music made Barbra famous in the first place. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing Barbra perform some of these new songs at her New Years Eve concert! Thanks for never letting us down Barbra! This album will surely shine as one of your very best works!
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still the greatest entertainer!, November 20, 1999
By A Customer
I was a mere lad when my entire family sat around our black & white tv on a Sunday night and once again tuned in to "The Ed Sullivan Show." Ed introduced this gangly, strange looking girl...I remember my dad saying: "Boy...she's homely! " My two sisters & mom were already ripping apart her hair and fashion statement. Then...the VOICE. I looked around the room at my parents, then my siblings, even my younger brother...they were ALL silent! Out of this strange, eccentric looking girl came this voice. My mom and oldest sister were obviously spellbound. As Barbra came to her crescendo, then haunting conclusion, my very macho dad, just barely audible, exclaimed: "My God, can that girl sing." I glared at my sisters & my brother, then mom & dad again & then was distracted by what had to be tumultuous, thunderous applause...maybe her very first standing ovation? I'd never seen such a thing! My mom said to my sisters:"That young lady has her wagon hitched to a star...she's going to be the next Judy Garland." The Beatles hadn't quite arrived yet, but I was singing along with "The Four Seasons" and Lesley Gore...those who remember the very early 60's remember the tunes well. But, that evening, sitting spellbound with my family, I fell in love with a girl who was 9 years older than me! My entire family did as well. Years later, we saw the girl again in "Funny Girl." My dad managed to get us all tickets to see the voice in action! It was an evening I shall remember forever...This time, my entire family joined in that ovation at the end. It was her very last night as Fanny Brice. Tears flowed from the stage out to the audience. The girl had them all...her tears were poignant; no one wanted the evening to end. As a young teen now, I remember holding my ears at one point because the applause was so deafening. Barbra was leaving Broadway and the crowd refused to let her go! The Tony, the Emmy, the Grammy, the Golden Globe, the Oscar...say it all. 40 years later, I'm still in love with the greatest entertainer in U.S. history. This CD is but one more example of her brilliance...and that VOICE.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
She's Still Got It, March 30, 2000
By A Customer
No matter how legendary she might be, Streisand still has it hard -- some fans want her to stick to orchestral ballads, while others complain that she is playing it safe; some want her to catch up with the times, while others will accuse her of overstepping her boundaries musically. But above all-- and this has been pointed out countless times-- she has that mysterious ability to evoke mean-spirited quips by those who form opinions of her and her music before they write a review (as many of the below reviews prove.On A Love Like Ours, Streisand-- contrary to the popular assertion that her vocal quality has deteriorated and that this latest work is self-congratulatory-- projects a sincerity and passion for words that is woefully missing in a pop music world where caterwauling equals talent. On Isn't It a Pity and I've Dreamed of You, her voice remains calm and crystalline and when she belts a note, the listener feels that she is doing so to project her innate passion for the lyric, and not merely because she is trying to dazzle us with her vocal prowess. And on If I Never Met You and Wait, she shows a delicacy for phrasing that rivals Sinatra and Fitzgerald. My advice to those who buy this album: give it a few listens and don't judge it based on your perception of Streisand's off-stage persona. In doing so, you will understand why it is that Streisand is in a league of her own.
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