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Barbra Streisand: Back To Broadway (1993)
In June of 1993, Barbra released her thirty-third album entitled, BACK TO BROADWAY. Barbra had alread released a Broadway album in 1985, which was simply titled, THE BROADWAY ALBUM. But Barbra wanted a follow-up, featuring more songs from the Broadway hits. This album is just as amazing as the first Broadway album.
SOME ENCHANTED EVENING
From "South Pacific". Great song. The best way to open up another Broadway album.
EVERYBODY SAYS DON'T
From "Anyone Can Whistle". Great.
THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT (Duet with Michael Crawford)
From "The Phantom Of The Opera". The first song for Barbra Streisand to record that was from "The Phantom Of The Opera" was "All I Ask Of You", which was the musical's love theme. This song is, yet, another love theme, only this time, Barbra is with Michael Crawford on this one. Beautiful song.
SPEAK LOW
Great.
AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE
From "Sunset Boulevard". Beautiful.
CHILDREN WILL LISTEN
From "Into The Woods. Beautiful song all the way.
Medley: I HAVE A LOVE/ONE HAND, ONE HEART (Duet with Johnny Mathis)
From "West Side Story". Before I heard this song, I had only liked three songs from "West Side Story". Those three songs were: "Something's Coming", "Somewhere", and the other song, where the lyrics read, "Tonight, tonight, there's always room tonight...", I don't know the rest. But after I heard this song, it became the fourth song I liked from "West Side Story". Johnny Mathis has got a really peaceful voice.
I'VE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE
Great.
LUCK BE A LADY
From "Guys And Dolls". Amazing.
WITH ONE LOOK
From "Sunset Boulevard". Great.
THE MAN I LOVE
Great.
MOVE ON
Great.
BACK TO BROADWAY may not be what THE BROADWAY ALBUM is, but this album is very much true to the original and Barbra sings these songs fearlessly and with confidence because she knows she can. This album is for all fans, whether you all prefer THE BROADWAY ALBUM or not. This is one hell of an album and it deserves to be in your hands and Barbra collection.
A sometimes enchanted sequel.
Does Barbra's follow up recording to THE BROADWAY ALBUM come close to matching the spectacular quality of the original? Well, yes and no. The original BROADWAY ALBUM is Streisand's masterpiece and one of the best recordings of all time, so there's really no way she could ever even begin to approach the level of that release. However, when thought of an independent release, BACK TO BROADWAY is an excellent record in it's own right.
Barbra is in terrific voice and she gives some of her most stunning performances here, particularly on the album's closing track "Move On." Unfortunately, it is in the production and song selection the BACK TO BROADWAY occasionally falters. While THE BROADWAY ALBUM featured many of Peter Matz's creatively daring arrangements that gave many of the compositions a jolt of energy, BACK TO BROADWAY consists mostly of the "easy listening" gloss of David Foster. Foster produced THE BROADWAY ALBUM'S stunning, post-apocalyptic rendition of "Somewhere," however the only track that is reminiscent of that kind of creativity is the delightfully frantic take on Sondheim's "Everbody Says Don't."
Foster basically plays it safe everywhere else, and his ultra-smooth production can either help a song or hurt it. For example, the sultrier numbers like "Speak Low" and "I've Never Been In Love Before" actually benefit from their "lite FM" arrangements, however the already-over-played compositions "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Luck Be A Lady" sound like they were arranged for an ammeter talent show. Another problem is that, while the album is pretty consistent listen, BACK TO BROADWAY never really gels into a completely cohesive release. This is due to the fact that two of the sections are duets and three are Andrew Lloyd Webber compositions. All of these tracks are individually very good, but they sound out of place next to the other material.
Having said all of that, BACK TO BROADWAY excels when it sticks to Sondheim's material. Stephen Sondheim is the greatest composer of his generation, and Barbra is the perfect interpreter of his material. Barbra gives the definitive performances of the aforementioned tracks "Move On" and "Everybody Says Don't," and her beautifully nuanced rendition of "Children Will Listen" is one of the best performances in her extraordinary career. Johnny Mathis joins Barbra on a medley of "I Have A Love/One Hand, One Heart," and (even if the duet format prevents it from working within the confines of the album) it is a show-stopper!
Even if it never really unifies into a cohesive whole, BACK TO BROADWAY contains enough exceptional material to make it a great recording. The album hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 200 and has achieved Double-Platinum status in sales, and it remains Barbra's best studio album of the nineties - if only because it's the only one where she sings songs that are truly worthy of her immense talents.
Back on Stage
This is her second collection of Theatre Songs.
Again i am not in a position to review this from a critical point.
I can tell though that AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE is really intriguing, SOME ENCHANTED EVENING really brings you out to South Pacific...you can almost see those peach-ripe sunsets if you close your eyes as she sings her out out.
LUCK BE A LADY is pure Vegas versus Atlantic City mood.
SPEAK LOW comes directly out of a jazz club session.
EVERYBODY SAYS DON'T has got the lady displaying her vocal skills around a fun track and MOVE ON is a good medicine for the helpless broken-hearted.
But the nugget is THE MAN I LOVE.
No matter the difficulties in a song, Barbra's approach is always accurate and private.
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