2014 release from the legendary songbird who duets with award winning, record breaking superstars in their own right including Elvis Presley, Michael Buble, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and others. Barbra and her duet partners have won a combined grand total of 74 Grammy Awards. An eight-time Grammy Award winner, Streisand is the only performer to have #1 albums in five consecutive decades. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, her 51 gold albums, 30 platinum albums and 18 multi-platinum albums exceed all other female singers. The RIAA also notes that her 72.5 million album sales tops it's list of album sales by a female singer. Barbra is the only female among the top ten album-selling recording artists.
Barbra Streisand's 2014 duets album, "Partners," features the legendary vocalist performing songs associated with her storied career alongside a handful of handpicked guests. Produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Walter Afanasieff, "Partners" is a duets album in the modern tradition of such similarly inclined releases as Frank Sinatra's "Duets," Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic," and Paul Anka's "Duets." The album also follows up Streisand's 2013 live concert recording "Back to Brooklyn." As with that album, "Partners" works as a retrospective, with Streisand revisiting songs she's recorded on past albums, such as her classic "Evergreen" from the soundtrack to her 1976 remake of "A Star Is Born," performed here with Babyface. Also joining Streisand are such luminaries as Michael Buble for "It Had to Be You," Stevie Wonder for "People," Billy Joel for "New York State of Mind," Andrea Bocelli for "I Still Can See Your Face," and others. John Mayer even brings along his guitar for a bluesy, Count Basie-inspired rendition of "Come Rain or Come Shine." With Edmonds and Afanasieff on board, the tracks on "Partners" showcase a pleasing balance between Streisand's various stylistic wheelhouses from Broadway standards, to adult contemporary pop, to classical crossover, and even a hint of country (as her duet with Blake Shelton reveals). While certainly a novelty, the digitally created, fan-service duet with the late Elvis Presley (Streisand's original choice of co-star for "A Star Is Born") is tastefully and lovingly crafted. Ultimately, "Partners" works as guided tour down Streisand's memory lane, and with her resonant voice still in supple shape, any excuse to hear her sing is a welcome invitation. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi
