Week 2 "Encore" album drops on the chart

The fact that all this is being discussed in the same breath as
someone like Brittney Spears - a total non-artist - says much about
what's been happening in the recording industry since the 1980s.

All in all, Streisand has done pretty well with this album, but I fear
it's just the beginning of more duet stuff. Heaven forbid Streisand
should just record a Gershwin album and accept some lesser charting,
but maybe some great reviews. It would be nice for something risky
again like "Love is the Answer" or The VanGuard album.

Well, she has put out 3 of those non-traditional, non-commercial albums over the past 6 years:


The two which you mentioned and 'What Matters Most', which she covered the Bergman songs (including the beautiful 'Windmills of Your Mind', which fans have long wanted her to record). I believe WMM (one of my all-time favorites) debuted at #5 in 2011, not too bad for an album aimed solely at a Streisand audience.

Now for the past two ("Partners"; "Encore") she went a more commercial route. I think it weighs out rather nicely.

"Splodey heads keep splodin' " - Sarah Palin, 7-1-16 

I think Streisand's voice on WMM is amazing, given her age (she is in
notably better voice here than on LITA). But I find the album very
dull and schmaltzy (like many of the composers' material) for the most
part. The cover shot is among the most unimaginative of Streisand's
career.

The fear I have is time is marching FORWARD not backward. The older
Streisand gets, and the bigger the duet albums chart, the more
pressure Sony is going to put on her for such releases. Even you have
admitted that so many of these type themes are not Streisand's idea.
You've also admitted that she no longer has the control she once
did. And she herself admitted this recently over the "Gypsy" struggles
("I'm at their mercy"). Very rare Streisand comment.

Even you have
admitted that so many of these type themes are not Streisand's idea.
You've also admitted that she no longer has the control she once

I have indeed - so what exactly is your point? 

"Splodey heads keep splodin' " - Sarah Palin, 7-1-16 

Try rereading my post. My point is simple: Since Streisand is less and less
in control of her output, it is more and more likely that she will be
involved in albums like "Partners" and "Encore" (and, to be fair, most people
like "Encore"), not creative ventures like LITA and The Vanguard concert,
as you wrote..."balancing things out."

Get it now?

That was more than obvious two years ago when she recorded "Partners". Try to catch up.


"Splodey heads keep splodin' " - Sarah Palin, 7-1-16 

Splitting hairs are we? There are no other albums between "Partners" and
"Encore." But thanks for furthering my point - two duet albums in a row -
two years apart - doesn't bode well for Streisand's creative input at Sony.

Splitting hairs? Hardly - stating facts is more like it.

The tell tale signs were there five years ago, when Streisand was renegotiating her contract with Sony, just one year before her '50th Anniversary' with the label. She came close to leaving, as things weren't going in her favor and she had to make many concessions to renew. Creativity was most likely one of them, as she no longer had the clout with the new kids as she once did with the 'old men in suits'.

It's old news.


"Splodey heads keep splodin' " - Sarah Palin, 7-1-16 