Barbra Streisand Does It Again With New Album
Barbra Streisand’s new album “What Matters Most: Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman” has hit stores Tuesday.
The legendary singer’s new album covers songs written by her lifelong friends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, as a tribute to the Oscar-winning songwriters.
Streisand has already recorded over 50 songs with lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Her highly anticipated 33rd studio album adds 10 never-before recorded songs with lyrics by the songwriting duo.
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The deluxe edition CD will also include 10 previously released performances of Streisand singing Bergman songs, including “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and “Pieces of Dreams.”
Alan, 85, and Marilyn, 81 have enjoyed 50 years of marriage and co-writing. During the early 1960’s, the couple met Barbra Streisand in New York after a friend forced them to hear the new girl singer. In an interview with CBS Sunday morning, Marilyn Bergman recalled the event.
“I didn’t want to be there,” said Marilyn. “Until she walked out there and I took a look. And then she started to sing and I started to cry.”
That first encounter led to a lifelong friendship and work relationship ever since. Some of Streisand’s biggest hits such as “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” and “The Way We Were,” were penned by the Bergmans.
Of the Bergmans, Streisand says, “They’ve written for movies, so they write for stories and characters. I relate to them as an actress and a person,” reported Florida Today.
Last year, Streisand decided she would record songs written by the Bergmans that she has never released before.
“What Matters Most” also includes Streisand’s never-before recorded “Love Is The Answer,” “The Windmills of Your Mind,” and “Nice ‘n’ Easy” written by the Bergmans.
The married couple “have a remarkable gift for expressing affairs of the heart,” said Streisand while promoting the new album.
“To give you an idea as to how much I admire their lyrics, I’ve already recorded 51 of their songs… and with this new collection, it will be 63!”
“What Matters Most” follows Streisand’s 2009 “Love Is The Answer,” which debuted at number one. She is the only artist to have achieved number one albums over five consecutive decades.
Next year, Streisand appears in a comedy film “Guilt Trip,” formerly titled “My Mother’s Curse,” where she stars as Seth Rogan’s mother.
