Billboard
For all of Barbra Streisand's eccentricities and polarizing political
views, her reunion with Barry Gibb—who masterminded 1980's stellar
"Guilty"—pairs her with some of the best arrangements she
has ever sung throughout the full-length "Guilty Pleasures,"
due Sept. 20. First single "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a
positive yet poignant and timely expression honoring soldiers who have
perished "fighting someone else's war." The video is
streaming at amazon.com. The melody, Gibb's background contributions
and Streisand's impassioned performance are superlative.
"Stranger" is written and produced by a pop king and sung by
his parallel queen. Priceless. —Chuck Taylor
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Barnes
& Noble
Everyone loves a reunion, the happier the better. A quarter
century after collaborating on the best- selling Guilty, Barbra
Streisand and Barry Gibb are back together - and the results are
something to sing about. In fact, the only question is: What took them
so long? Gibb was born with the kind of intuitive pop instincts that
others can only dream of; combine his sure touch as a songwriter and
producer with Streisand's still-magisterial voice and pure pop
pleasure is assured. Featuring ten new songs co-written by Barry Gibb
and a striking take on the Andy Gibb hit "(Our Love) Don't Throw
It Away," Guilty Pleasures is a testament to the undiminished
strength of Streisand's vocal artistry. Digging into superbly crafted
tunes such as "Golden Dawn," "Letting Go," and
"Without Your Love," Streisand sounds as if she just stepped
out of the original Guilty sessions -- here is a singer still in her
prime and ready to remind the whole world about it. Barry Gibb,
holding his own, gets into the act on two exuberant duets; both
"Come Tomorrow" and "Above the Law" run thick with
the lusty spirit that signals a hit single. The squeaky- clean
instrumental textures and Bee Gees- styled -backup vocals may speak of
the late '70s, but delightfully so. Comparing Guilty Pleasures to its
priceless predecessor is pointless -- appreciate the new union for the
overflowing joy it brings. —William Pearl
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USA
Today
Bon Jovi rocks; Streisand rolls
Barbra Streisand, Guilty Pleasures (* * * ½
out of four) Adult-contemporary pop doesn't come smoother or
creamier than this collection reuniting the genre's most durable diva
with writer/producer/sometime-vocal partner Barry Gibb, her
collaborator on 1980's Guilty. Early highlights of the new CD
include the lilting duets Come Tomorrow and Above the Law.
But stay tuned for Streisand's graceful take on the Bee Gees-composed
Andy Gibb hit (Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away and the
wistful ballad Letting Go, both ideal showcases for her
shimmering, shivery warmth. —Elysa
Gardner
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New
York Times
If
there's such a thing as hypoglycemic bliss in pop, it is to be found
on "Guilty Pleasures", the 25th anniversary reunion album of
Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb. The lush, celestially oriented collection, co-produced by Mr
Gibb with John Merchant, is a sustained musical sugar rush (sweeter
even than their 1980 multiplatinum blockbuster "Guilty")
guaranteed to make you swoon (if your taste runs to musical mall mars)
without leaving you comatose.
The
songs, composed by Mr Gibb, the Bee Gees' main man, mostly in
collaboration with his two oldest sons, Ashley and Stephen, all
languish in the pop vocabulary of oracular sweet nothings that Mr Gibb
long ago adapted into his own distinct line of designer ear candy.
A lush revival of the Andy Gibb hit "Our Love (Don't Throw
It all Away") fits snugly in to the format.
The
album finds Mr Gibb in full command of his gift for airborne melodic
hooks carried on misty whooshes and anchored by feathery beats that
allude to everything from early rock 'n' roll ("Come
Tomorrow") to light disco ("Night of My Life").
Ms
Streisand sounds considerably more relaxed riding in these
cotton-candy cloud banks than she did 25 years ago. The album features the softest and most seductive aspects of
her voice. And since she
consciously discarded most of the breathy, sobbing mannerisms of her
younger days, you no longer hear a singer demanding "Look how
deeply I feel".
But
the question remains: what does this style and substance mean in 2005?
"Guilty" rode the tail end of the "Saturday Night
Fever" craze.
"Guilty
Pleasures" gambles on locating a nostalgic ground swell. —Stephen
Holden
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Amazon.com
A few tracks into this highly anticipated Barbra Streisand release and
the title starts to make sense. Guilty Pleasures is a 'Streisandian'
spin on a melange of popular styles, including '50s doo-wop
("Come Tomorrow"), Motown ("It's Up to You"),
disco ("Night of My Life"), Broadway ("Without Your
Love"), and something vaguely waltz-like ("Stranger in a
Strange Land"). If that sounds gimmicky and contrived, it isn't.
The musical influences are more under Streisand's spell rather than
the other way around. Then there's that voice: fire-and-brimstone bold
one minute, cashmere soft the next, and fully undiminished overall.
Much has been made of the politics surrounding "All the
Children," but the protest-song-for-Muzak reputation preceding it
comes without justification. The song makes its point (for peace)
mildly and without undue controversy. The voice of Barry Gibb crops up
more than just on the two duets he is credited with ("Above the
Law" and "Come Tomorrow"), and where it is not being
showcased, on "(Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away" for
example, it sounds best. Of course the other inspiration behind this
album's title is a nod to Guilty, the multiplatinum album Streisand
and Gibb recorded in 1980 that captured the hearts of millions and
spawned decades of requests for further collaborations. With Guilty
Pleasures, Streisand has managed to avoid charges that she's past her
peak, as evidenced on the gorgeous love song "Letting Go." —Tammy
La Gorce
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