Barbra Streisand - Streisand: Live In Concert (2 CD's)
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Free Music Notes for Streisand: Live In Concert (2 CD's)
Free Music Review: Pleasure Is Mine...
Hit: 5 Stars
Being a 7-years-old child, back in 1988, there is something that I cannot forget about our private English (as a second language) school: the loud and unique singing of Barbra Streisand from our central speakers. I was there to be looked-after by a working mother, actually a school-ruling mother. That time was the times that no official liscencee of the international labels were available in Turkey. Pirate copies of "top sellers" or mixtapes of artist's "chart toppers" were prefered...
I got this soul to collect all good material from my mother. She never went out to buy illegal copies. She tired hard to reach out to liscenced products, when it was the times of rural rules in our city.
Barbra, had always touched me somewhere. Not to mention her unique voice. She is one of a kind persona that this world would never ever have again.
Fully artistic, fully humanistic, fully political and that's the way it goes.
When I grew up and cds were common in our country, my first official Streisand belongings were 1994 "Highlights From: The Concert" CD, Casette and VHS. I can still remember how I picturised in my mind that an artist should be like.
Then everything went better. Amazon appeared and I could even get 25th year dualdiscs of "Guilty" and very precious "Guilty Pleasures". "Timeless" was another concert disc, for which I spent all my weekly allowance on...
I had spent so many money to have her CDs. Never at once did I regret. If it's KARMA, than I owe KARMA a lot to bring me the divinity of her music; if it's THE SECRET, I owe my universe a big loud THANK YOU for making me hear every note, if it's GOD that made me "able" of all these things... than I owe GOD my every littlest breath. 'Coz I'm more than flattered to have AN ART -herself- in my life. So perfect, so divine, everythime thrilling, everytime amuzing, everythime speeding my heartbeat.. everytime I FALL IN LOVE WITH!
I may not express my gratitude toward this lifetime for making me hear and get the taste of Ms. Barbra Streisand, I wouldn't be saying that I understand music, if it weren't for Ms. Streisand and her unique ART.
Please BUY this album, and be sure to get back every little culture and art OBSERBED IN YOUR GENES! Love... xXx
Free Music Review: A Treat From a Timeless Entertainer
Hit: 5 Stars
Barbra Streisand has now released six lives albums / CDs during her prodigeous career, each one unique in representing her at specific times in her legendary journey as an entertainer and artist. This new recording is a more casual and nostalgic affair than anything she's done live, and is much the better for it. While "Live in Concert 2006" shows a bit of "wear and tear" in her vocal ability, that's like saying Maria Callas hit a wrong note. Streisand is now 65 and still doing it her way. What she may have lost in range and suppleness as the result of age, she more than makes up for with her interpretive skills and her pitch-perfect phrasing. This lady knows how to deliver a song like no one alive.
What's most exciting about this CD is that the song selection almost completey ignores more obvious choices (we've gotten them on other dics...now was the time to stretch and, boy, did she) for songs she has rarely performed or has never recorded before. The opening overture, which is the complete overture from her classic Broadway show "Funny Girl", let's you know you are in for some time capsule offerings that no one else could surpass. In fact, many songs from "Funny Girl" permeate the disc, as do several esoteric songs Streisand recorded earlier in her career that were exquisite non-hits. Brilliant.
Yes, there's the obligatory duets with Il Divo, but Streisand has always managed to channel her old-time glamour into one or another of the current pop crop, almost always with sterling results (Neil Diamond, Donna Summer, Johnny Mathis, Barry Gibbs...and the list goes on). Streisand's show business savvy has continued to make her relevant to generation after generation.
Finally, Streisand's in-between-song patter is a real treat here. Less formal and polemic than on other recordings, she is humorous, warm, folksy and quite self-deprecating. A delightful performance.
Streisand will hopefully continue to record for years to come because this CD proves that her talent is not only still intact, but relevant and delightfully dextrous. Lucky for the record buying public.
Free Music Review: The Cover Really Says it all...Elegance.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is, in so many ways, a remarkable recording. Besides that, the album is also an essential historical document. Throughout these two discs we hear one of the preeminent vocalists of our time proving beyond a doubt that she still has it.
It's remarkable how Streisand uses that instrument of hers. Yes, age is creeping up with her, but the voice still sends a shiver down your spine. (Play the album both loudly and softly, and you'll be stunned both ways.)
Many of her previous live performances seemed, on record anyway, as forced and insincere. This set shows Streisand at her warmest...her love and respect and gratitude to the audience is as sincere as it can get. Needless to say, the warmth the audience gives her is evident too.
It's remarkable, too, how in those few spots where she hits what Sinatra used to call "clams" (a bad or missed note) the note is left in. I don't know how much overdubbing or splicing was done for this set, but to my ears it seems as if it's the real deal.
There are only two sides to this set to me. One is that it is over too quickly. Thank heavens for the repeat button on a CD player. The other, quite honestly, is Il Divo. Granted, I could never stand them...they represent the phoniness that Simon Cowell thinks is musical talent and should have been left off the CD. "The Music of the Night" is a mess except for Streisand's vocal, which is remarkably close to the 1993 studio version. "Somewhere" isn't much better. Even when Streisand's voice slightly cracks in the song, it's lightyears ahead of what those guys can do. They're not up to this elegent affair...and from the start I wondered why she chose them as an opening act. Why not get the real things, such as Michael Crawford or Johnny Mathis?
Even some Streisand fans will admit that some of their Streisand albums stay on the shelf for a long time between plays...but this will likely not be one of them. I've already played it twenty or so times in one week. Terrific documentation of a legend still in her prime.
Free Music Review: Buttah!
Hit: 5 Stars
I don't agree with Barbra's politics, but I absolutely adore her voice, her acting ability, her presence, and the way she brings class, elegance and sophistication to everything she does. Her voice has darkened, deepened, and has a "dusky" and "husky" quality to it now, and she doesn't have quite the resonance and brilliance that she had even 10 years ago, but even so, her voice is still incredibly rich and smooth. And she can still belt a high note like no one's business. She works magic with each and every song she sings, completely enthralling the listener. Especially magical and beautiful are "The music of the night" and "Somewhere", both of which she sings with the Pop/Opera group "Il Divo". The sound of her voice interwoven with theirs, especially at the climax of each song is, yet again, beautiful, magical and exhilarating. But of course, Barbra is all of those things when she sings alone as well.
She sings for us some of the staple songs of her long career, such as "The way we were", "Evergreen" (which she also does with Il Divo and in a variety of different languages), and "People". She also sings for us some songs from early in her career, such as "Have I stayed too long at the fair?", which is one of my personal favorites. She also treats us to a whole string of songs from "Funny Girl", some from the movie, and some from the stage version that didn't make it into the film. We are also privileged to get to hear her briefly play the piano, and then sing for us the very first song she ever wrote, "Ma premiere chanson". In this recording, she seems very relaxed and amicable towards the audience, as opposed to past times when she perhaps was more nervous and tense.
The arrangements and orchestrations of each song are so beautiful and elegant and sophisticated and grand...just like Barbra. Her style is inimitable, her voice is perfect, and she is truly a living legend.
Free Music Review: Still evolving
Hit: 5 Stars
A true artist, Streisand has been evolving since her first recordings and continues to. When she first came on the scene I thought "As she moves on she will be less shrill and become more subtle." She became less shrill and more subtle. And then later I thought "As she moves on she will become less concerned with perfection and more interested in living, breathing artistry, imperfections and all." She became less concerned with perfection and more interested in living, breathing artistry. And then I thought, "She's always thought of herself as an actress who sings but eventually she will come more to live the songs as she sings rather than portraying a character singing them." That progression is fully evident on this album. As is the happiness of this stage of her life which has allowed her to relax, enjoy and be comfortable on stage. The bottom line on Barbra is she has never, ever stopped studying, has never stopped learning, has never stopped, in the words of one of her best songs, being ready to "Move On." I think she is singing more magnificently than ever, I think she is an even deeper artist (and that's saying something about an artist who began very deep), I think she is even wiser (and she was always wise) and I think what comes from her reveals more than ever her very heart--which is above all ethical and truthful and in some ways holy. I met her once and was so impressed by the person--not the star, not the diva (didn't see anything like that) but the person. I've first hand experienced her kindness and generosity. My theory has always been that only someone who suffered terribly as a child could as an adult bring forth the emotion, insight, understanding and passion she has brought to her art. It's all here in this album to be experienced over and over. It's not only a thrilling listening experience, it's a master class in achieving excellence.