Partners (Barbra Streisand album)
Partners is the thirty-fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on September 16, 2014 by Columbia Records. The album features Streisand singing duets with an all-male lineup including Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, and, from an earlier recording, Elvis Presley. The collection also features Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her now 47-year-old son, Jason Gould.[7] The album release was promoted on The Tonight Show, where Streisand was the evening's sole guest and sang a medley with host Jimmy Fallon.[8]
Partners | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013-14 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 50:27 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 55/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New York Daily News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The New York Times | Negative[5] |
The Telegraph (UK) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
While the recordings are new, most of the songs have a previous history as Streisand releases. Two classic Streisand duets are updated with new partners: "What Kind of Fool", newly performed with John Legend (originally with Barry Gibb) and "Lost Inside of You", newly performed with Babyface (originally with Kris Kristofferson). The deluxe edition features an additional duet with Babyface along with previously released material featuring Frank Sinatra (who died in 1998), Bryan Adams, Barry Manilow, and Barry Gibb (from The Bee Gees).
Partners is one of 2014's best-selling albums in the US, having sold 856,000 copies.[9] Partners topped the Billboard 200 with sales of 196,000 copies in the first week, making Streisand the only recording artist to have a number-one album in six different decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.)[10] It was also certified gold in November 2014 and platinum in January 2015, thus becoming Streisand's 52nd gold and 31st Platinum album (she also has 7 Gold-certified singles to her credit), more than any other female artist in history.[11] The album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal album at the 57th Grammy Awards.
Commercial performance
In its debut week, the album topped US Billboard 200 sales charts, selling over 196,000 copies.[12] It fell to number three the following week, selling 127,000 copies, the lowest second-week decline for a number one-debuting non-compilation album in nearly four years.[13] After just six weeks on sale, the album crossed half a million in US sales, having sold 526,000 copies total in the country.[14] Partners was 2014's seventh best-selling album in the US, having sold 856,000 copies.[9] As of September 2015, the album has sold 955,000 copies in the US.[15] It tops 1 million in traditional album sales in the week of August 14, 2017.[16]
In Canada and Australia the album also reached number one, selling 13,000 copies in each country.[17][18] In the Netherlands, New Zealand, and UK the album reached the number two spot on national sales charts, becoming Streisand's highest charting album in the Netherlands since One Voice peaked at the same position in 1987.[19] In Ireland the album reached the number six position, becoming Streisand's highest charting album since Guilty Pleasures in 2005.[20] The album debuted in the Top 10 in Austria, Germany, Spain and Poland, and reached Top 40 positions in Belgium (both regions), Denmark, Italy and Switzerland.
Track listing
- All tracks produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Walter Afanasieff; except "I Still Can See Your Face" produced by Bernie Herms, and "How Deep Is the Ocean" produced by Barbra Streisand.[21]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Duet partner | Length |
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1. | "It Had to Be You" | Gus Kahn, Isham Jones | Michael Bublé | 4:23 |
2. | "People" | Bob Merrill, Jule Styne | Stevie Wonder | 4:14 |
3. | "Come Rain or Come Shine" | Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen | John Mayer | 4:11 |
4. | "Evergreen" | Paul Williams, Barbra Streisand | Babyface | 3:14 |
5. | "New York State of Mind" | Billy Joel | Billy Joel | 4:47 |
6. | "I'd Want It to Be You" | Steve Dorff, Jay Landers, Bobby Tomberlin | Blake Shelton | 4:05 |
7. | "The Way We Were" | Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch | Lionel Richie | 4:29 |
8. | "I Still Can See Your Face" | Bernie Herms, Charlie Midnight, Jay Landers | Andrea Bocelli | 4:13 |
9. | "How Deep Is the Ocean" | Irving Berlin | Jason Gould | 4:18 |
10. | "What Kind of Fool" | Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten | John Legend | 4:43 |
11. | "Somewhere" | Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein | Josh Groban | 4:05 |
12. | "Love Me Tender" | Ken Darby, W. W. Fosdick, George R. Poulton Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley (vocal sample of original 1956 recording)[22][23] | 3:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Duet partner | Length |
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13. | "Lost Inside of You" (2014, previously unreleased) | Barbra Streisand, Leon Russell | Babyface | 4:18 |
14. | "I've Got a Crush on You" (1993, Duets) | Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin | Frank Sinatra | 3:22 |
15. | "I Finally Found Someone" (1996, The Mirror Has Two Faces soundtrack) | Barbra Streisand, Marvin Hamlisch, Bryan Adams, Robert John "Mutt" Lange | Bryan Adams | 3:41 |
16. | "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" (2002, Duets) | Barry Manilow, Richard Marx | Barry Manilow | 4:40 |
17. | "Guilty" (1980, Guilty) | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry Gibb | 4:28 |
Total length: | 70:37 |
- Note
- "I Still Can See Your Face" features Italian lyrics translated by Marco Marinangeli. [21]
Personnel
Information is based on the Album’s Liner Notes[21]
- Walter Afanasieff - piano (2-7, 10-11), guitar, mandolin played by, concertina programmed by (12), bass played by (4-7, 10), synths played by, rhythm programmed by (2, 4-7, 10-11), orchestra arranged by (1-7, 9-12)
- Babyface - background vocals (4, 7, 10), lead vocals (4)
- Chuck Berghofer - bass played by (1, 3)
- Teddy Campbell - drums (2)
- Peter Erskine - drums (1, 3)
- Bernie Herms - piano, synth played by, rhythm programmed by, orchestra arranged by (8)
- John Mayer - guitar solo, vocals (3)
- Rickey Minor - bass played by (2)
- Dean Parks - guitar (1, additional on 3), pedal steel guitar (6)
- Michael Ripoll - guitars (2, 4-5, 7, 10, additional on 6, 12)
- William A. Ross - orchestra arranged by (1-7, 9-12), orchestra conducted by (All tracks)
- Randy Waldman - piano (1)
- Stevie Wonder - harmonica, vocals (2)
Chart positions
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[59] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[60] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Hungary (MAHASZ)[61] | Gold | 1,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Poland (ZPAV)[63] | Platinum | 20,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] | Platinum | 371,252[65] |
United States (RIAA)[66] | Platinum | 1,000,000[16] |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- "Reviews for 'Partners'by Barbra Streisand". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Allmusic review
- Jim Farber (September 16, 2014). "'Partners': Album review". Daily News. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Mikael Wood (September 18, 2014). "Review: Barbra Streisand stays mostly the way she was on 'Partners'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Stephen Holden (September 15, 2014). "Two for One in Each Tune". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Helen Brown (September 14, 2014). "Barbra Streisand, Partners, review: 'desperate'". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand, a Voice to Be Reckoned With" by Jacob Bernstein, New York Times September 12, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand returns to late night with Jimmy Fallon" by Lisa Respers France, CNN September 16, 2014.
- Caulfield, Keith (December 31, 2014). "Taylor Swift's '1989' Beats 'Frozen' As Top Selling Album of 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- Caulfield, Keith (September 23, 2014). "Barbra Streisand Makes History at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Gay icon Barbra Streisand makes more history with latest album". Gay Star News. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- Caulfield, Keith (September 24, 2014). "Barbra Streisand Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, Chris Brown at No. 2". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- Caulfield, Keith (October 1, 2014). "Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga's 'Cheek To Cheek' Debuts at No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- Caulfield, Keith (October 29, 2014). "Slipknot Scores Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- Caulfield, Keith (September 10, 2015). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Jimi Hendrix Earns 46th Charting Album With New Live Set". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- Grein, Paul (August 14, 2017). "Chart Watch: 'Despacito' ties 'Macarena' record, but gets no VMAs love". Yahoo!. Verizon Communications. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- "A Journal of Musical ThingsWeekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 25 September 2014 - A Journal of Musical Things". A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand Scores First ARIA No 1 Album Since 1980". Music News - Noise11.com. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Barbra Streisand – Partners" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- Partners (booklet). Barbra Streisand. Columbia Records. 2014. 88843091142.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Press Trust of India Staff (August 12, 2014). "Barbra Streisand to Release Posthumous Duet with Presley". Business Standard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- AP Staff (September 18, 2014). "Barbra Streisand, the Feminist, Sings On". CBS News. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
- iTunes Music – Partners (Deluxe Version) by Barbra Streisand August 13, 2014
- "Australiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Austriancharts.at – Barbra Streisand – Partners" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Ultratop.be – Barbra Streisand – Partners" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Ultratop.be – Barbra Streisand – Partners" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- Ideoskop doo. "Top of the Shops - slubena tjedna lista prodanih albuma u Hrvatskoj". Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201441 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Danishcharts.dk – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Lescharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Officialcharts.de – Barbra Streisand – Partners". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "IFPI Charts". Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2014. 38. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 38, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Italiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "o[uEXgCTh̃AoドLO". ORICON STYLE. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Amprofon on Twitter: "Partners de Barbra Streisand puesto #59 del #Top100MX del 15 al 21 de Septiembre #DiscoNuevo http://t.co/0uIwUfsotS"". Retrieved November 8, 2014. External link in
|title=
(help) - "Charts.nz – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "South African Top 20 Albums Chart". RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on October 31, 2014.
- "Spanishcharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Swisscharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- "Top Selling Albums of 2014". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- "Jakie płyty Polacy kupowali najchętniej w 2014 roku – roczne podsumowanie listy OLiS" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-selling-artist-albums-of-2014-3387/
- Top Billboard 200 albums. 2014 Year End. billboard.com
- "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "Canadian album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Music Canada. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2014" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Partners". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "Polish album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Partners" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "British album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Partners". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 5, 2016. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Partners in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- Jones, Alan (September 2, 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Barbra Streisand topples Frank Ocean to take No.1 spot". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- "American album certifications – Barbra Steisand – Partners". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 5, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
External links
- Partners, Barbra Archives discography