My journey through Barbra Streisand has been okay up to this point, but admittedly, I don't have a lot of expectation for her 1985 released, The Broadway Album. As a singer, Streisand tends to lean heavy into the ballad side of things, which isn't my thing. Now pair it with Broadway, which unto itself isn't one of my favorite genre's to dabble in, and it creates a bit of an uphill climb for me right from the start. But, I bought the album, so I'm going to push through.
When Babs told her label that she was going to cut a Broadway album, they protested, stating it wouldn't be commercial, produce any hits, and so on. The only reason they ultimately had to acquiesce was because her contract stated for being paid a lower rate she had full creative control to record whatever she wanted. So, while it was a passion project for her, to me, it feels like being forced to watch someone's vacation slides.
Upon turning the album on, I immediately was greeted by the annoying Putting It Together. There's a bunch of overlaid talking, people telling Barbra that this album is a bad idea, that nobody will like it, and all other sorts of negative reactions. When one goes into something already hesitant, it doesn't help when the artist themselves is essentially telling you their album is a bad idea. The song kind of made me angry.
Yes, Streisand brings her all. Her vocals are at the top of her game, but at the end of the day, it's a bunch of Broadway tunes. There's nothing here I'm adding to my shuffle list. I was already skipping tracks after a few seconds by the midway point, and eventually just ended up turning it off. I just didn't want to hear anymore.
It's kind of funny, and ironic at the same time that Barbra has sold platinum albums through the majority of her career, yet you can find truckloads of them for a dollar in the used CD bins. People bought them, then promptly offloaded them in mass.
So much negativity for this post. Ugh...and I still have one more album from her to get through. If you couldn't tell, I'm really looking forward to that.
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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS September 22, 1984 |
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