When Barbra first announced this cd, the title was Barbra In Love. I guess someone was brave enough to tell her how ridiculous that sounded, so eventually, she changed it to A Love Like Ours (ALLO, for short). Though the title changed, the theme was supposed to remain the same -- the happiness and joy of being in love. Accordingly, I was expecting a cd that was romantic, passionate and cheerful. Boy, was I dead wrong.

ALLO suffers from the same fatal flaw of Barbra's previous cd, Higher Ground (HG). Many critics and fans complained that HG "dragged"; one critic aptly pointed out, "Would it have hurt to have one upbeat number?" I'm assuming that because HG sold well (5 million copies worldwide), Barbra decided to ignore the persistent complaints. Instead, she followed the exact same formula as HG: stick to a theme, one duet with a major star (& produced by hitmaker David Foster), 11 solos, slow tempos, some remakes, some new songs, and one song she rejected before.

Actually, it is not only the persistent slow tempos that are creating the dragging effect: it is the extremely poor selection of songs, starting with the weak opener I've Dreamed of You, AND her utilization of the same phrasing and style throughout the entire recording. This is the singer who was once known for her versatility and dynamic range. On this recording, she sings at one volume level (soft ) and every song is in the exact same vocal style, even her (laughable) attempt at country, We Must be Loving Right.

In the past, when she sung a poorly written song, she'd swing into character, choose a vocal style appropriate for the song, then add enough vocal acrobatics to compensate. Not this time. ALLO has many duds that she fails to rescue (IDOY, The Island, Love Like Ours, We Must Be Loving Right, If I Never Met You, If I Didn't Love You, and Wait). There are two more poorly written songs that are rescued by their arrangements: Just One Lifetime (highlighted by an intro and ending composed by Marvin Hamlisch) and It Must Be You. (Interestingly, both are the only two selections produced and arranged by Arif Mardin.)

That leaves two well-written songs (the Gershwins Isn't It A Pity, and Marx's If You Ever Leave Me), and one of the many Styne/Merrill masterpieces, The Music That Makes Me Dance (TMTMMD). These three are blessed by suitable arrangements. Streisand gives an excellent rendition of Isn't It A Pity and provides competent (though not spectacular) vocals on the other two.

Of particular interest is TMTMMD, which Streisand previously recorded in 1964, as part of the Funny Girl Original Cast. It is clear that the Streisand of 1999 (as madly in love as she seems to be) cannot compete with the 22 year-old rising superstar of 1964. In Barbra's first version of TMTMMD, she is truly in character and in possession of a voice that is soft when it needs to be, powerful when it needs to be, and melodic at all times (please note that this recording is marred by the poor recording techniques used on original cast albums back then.) Though modern recording techniques capture (and enhance) her current voice a thousand times better, several vocal issues are obvious: she no longer has the dynamic range (ie, the range from her lowest to highest volume), nor the vocal range (the distance from her lowest note to her highest) that she once did. The high notes in TMTMMD of 1999 are simply and plainly not as high. For example, just listen to the last note, it's at least a tone lower now than in 1964.

Speaking of high notes: on ALLO, they are few and far between. And when she does hit them, it is only briefly, and frequently without vibrato. It is clear that she has almost completely lost control of these notes. It is possible that this, along with her limited dynamic range and loss of lung power (she obviously does not hold notes as long as she used to) may be the contributing to the monotony of this recording.

Ultimately, technique aside, it is the emotional impact of a recording that carries most weight. ALLO fails in this department as well. As I mentioned before, I was expecting something romantic, passionate and cheerful. Instead, I got sleep-inducing, lifeless and monotonous. If this is what love is truly like, I shall remain single -- forever more.

NAVIGATION

The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand wishes to thank the following sources of inspiration for this web page... On second thought, maybe not.

Please note that this site is neither maintained nor supported by Barbra Streisand or her management. Furthermore, The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand is not an official or unofficial newsletter or publication related to or endorsed by Barbra Streisand, Barbra Joan Streisand, Barbara Streisand, Babs or her fan clubs.

Original content and design © 2000, 2003. The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand is for entertainment value only; no financial gain or profit is sought nor has been obtained through this web site. What's more, the site is not intended to reflect the political and/or personal views of the author nor web hosting provider. It's for fun, ok?