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 Had to grow on me, and now i love it Dec 07, 2009
I have to admit that when this CD came out in 2005 i was disappointed. I couldn't get through it. I thought it was boring, and i was grieved that at this time of her life, any effort should be wasted. Recently, i started listening to it again, and it was one of those situations where suddenly an album that just didn't hit the right notes before now seems great! I love it, and it's a great gym album. Now that Love is the Answer has come out (which i love), it's interesting to hear that streisand's voice was so intact only 4 years ago, because now it definitely shows signs of age in 2009. Sad. But for those of you who keep saying she should give up singing, all i can say is why don't you stop your kvetching and stop buying her albums? But for the rest of us, we are happy to get any last crumbs from this woman before the inevitable day when she retires from singing all together. A sad day indeed!
 Define guilty pleasures Dec 16, 2008
New Guilty CD, Guilty Pleasures is out, Kristin has pulled off another timely review-people are getting spoiled around here! I mean, even the click open CD case on Pleasures is cool! So its 25 years after Barry and Barbra Streisand's Grammy winning Guilty, and what do they decide to do? Sequel!
Come Tomorrow is a fresh duet with brother Barry and leads off the 11 track set. According to the liner notes-complete with lyrics!-the lead track and all but the closing covers are credited to combinations of Barry and his two sons Ashley and Stephen. We will have to wait and see how things turn out, but I think Tomorrow would have been a better lead off single than Stranger in A Strange Land. Come Tomorrow is so smooth and jazzy, and everything retro is new and hip again. Barry's Sinatra stylings show through the mood and melodies. His voice seems a little out of practice at first, but Barry's ad-libs strengthen the ending. The chorus and the long awaited delivery of the title by Barbra are worth the wait. Not quite on the scale of Guilty, but a formidable opener.
I don't know if its been this way for the rest of the world but Stranger In A Strange Land has been everywhere for me. The single's video was available on the internet, and behind the scenes interviews and clues were on the 25th Anniversary re-issue of Guilty (we've commented here .) There was also a promo single CD with just the song available at Borders for 49 cents! (I of course got it for 33 cents with my employee discount!) But to the music! The hint of a war protest is evident, but Barbra's delivery and Barry, Ashley, and Stephen's lyrics keep things a toe before outright political statements. The video, available also on the dual disc, smartly focuses on back-in-black Babs; the montages of soldiers and homecoming footage is placed in the background. I've never liked my politics in my music, but the gang here pulls it off well. The tight rhymes, internal rhythms, and Barbra's lingering notes keep the focus on the music.
Hideaway and It's Up To You are penned by Barry and Ashley, as is Night Of My Life. Hideaway has a little bit of a Latino mambo feel in the beginning. Even when the lyrics turn more serious and Barbra belts it, it still sounds a little mariachi. The saxophone interlude is a nice treat. Hideaway doesn't try too hard and sounds like a classic of old. I am curious if these old school nods are Barry's contributions to the songs or if his boys really know their music? Both I think. Barbra's "A little Rio de Janeiro" vocal rocks.
It's Up To You is the shortest song presented, and although it is a sweet little tune, It is as yet unremarkable for me. The lyrics and rhythm feel more like a poem. They don't sound like distinctly Gibb lyrics, but Ashley and Stephen's fresh point of view are a nice 21st Century twist.
The first time I heard Night of My Life I was half way asleep and thought I was dreaming. Barbra Streisand can't be doing techno! TECHNO! Complete with talk of merry-go-rounds and roller coasters! Barry provides backing vocals on most of the tracks and his falsetto on the chorus really reminded me of the Spirits era. And it sounds good. I think I like it. Can I admit that? At work no one believes me. It's Techno! Barbra and the two female back-up singers really take the ending. You could play this in a club. Whoa!
Above The Law is the second duet presented and Barbra has a writing credit beside Barry and his boys. Barry's voice does seem slightly weak compared to Barbra`s, but whose doesn't? Law isn't so much a duet as 60/40. In the video I love the way Baz closes his eyes and gives the sweet lyrics his personal spin. Soul Barry appears briefly, and he sounds good. Law is a bit too similar to both Come Tomorrow and Hideaway. Maybe it's because I've really only heard her sing or seen her sing in movies, but darling Barbra's pointing and head shaking antics during the videos are not Oscar.
Without Your Love is again credited to just Barry and Ashley and is the second shortest song behind It's Up To You. About halfway thru Love kicks it up a notch to Barbra's Broadway sound of old. I can see her singing on the movie set roof tops again, but like It's Up To You, perhaps an unnecessary track. Is that mean?
All The Children is an intriguing tune. It's got a great beat, but what point are they trying to make in the lyrics? Kids rock?! Music can end world hunger? I don't know. Barry's echoes are great though. The tone is slightly dark, and maybe this song would have been a better lead for Robin or Maurice if it had been a Bee Gees song. This one is growing on me already.
Golden Dawn is the kinky tune. I don't care what it is about, with a title like that, I say it's the kinky song. Barbra takes the suave lyrics and makes them rico suave-even though my favorite part is a French line and rhyme! A little too much more of the same Without Your Love styling but isn't easy listening what Barbra is really like without Gibbness?
Our Love Don't Throw It All Away is of course the same Bee Gees tune of old penned by Baz with Blue Weaver. I am curious as to how this cover came about but the words are still incredible. As nice as the other tracks are, Our Love still blows everything away. Barry's echoing and Babs belts almost own this song, and the music is almost exactly the same as it was 28 years ago. I'll be dang the ending is good. Maybe B and B's next collaboration could be an entire album of Babs singing Gibb covers. I'd buy it! Our Love is proof of the Brother's Gibb's music immortality.
Letting Go is not as familiar to outsiders (those being non-Gibbers) but this is also a cover written in 1986 and found later on Barry's Hawks album. The slow tune was a standout then, and in the video Barbra says she loved the song enough to do it. That's a good enough explanation for me. 80) The timing and delivery is excellent. Barbra delivers in the same style as The Love Inside, but instead of the booming production, its her and a piano. Barbra, a piano, and a story song. What else do you need?
This fancy new dual disc format on the flip side of the CD is where all the video treats lie. Of the four videos I think I like Hideaway the best. The interview is more extensive than the preview on the Guilty Anniversary edition, but the conversation is mixed in with the videos. I was expecting something like real music videos with production et all, but they are mostly just band sessions. What no photo gallery?! Barbra wears a different black outfit every segment.
Guilty Pleasures is just that for Barbra Streisand fans and Gibb enthusiasts alike. My only sadness again is that the trio of Barry, Ashley, and Stephen have seemingly replaced the Barry, Robin, and Maurice Brothers Gibb of old. The new boys have great skill, and I'm sure Barry is as proud a papa (and Grandpapa!) as ever. To put it mildly, Guilty Pleasures is `decent'. To gloat on Guilty Pleasures is to say it is an `incredible collaboration of historical proportions!' Still, I miss the magic of the `triplets'.
Thankfully we've got plenty of music to pleasure on!
 Guilty of not Letting Go Dec 10, 2008
The final track on this CD, 'Letting Go' is so ironic. Barbra and Barry both are quite literally 'Guilty' of not 'Letting Go' when they should. I say to Barbra and Barry, "Let Go". It's time to give this up. While I know it may be fun to head to the studio and try to release new material, the reality is that this music should have been released 10-15 years ago to not have been dated. Today, it's tired, over-produced and barely even fits as adult contemporary. It'a also no wonder why this CD received little radio play or promotion.
Barbra's voice is in fair shape. That said, her vibratos sound tired and uneven. You can definitely tell she's having difficulty with her vocals. In the 60s and 70s, her voice sounded almost effortless. Today, it no longer sounds effortless and much of it sounds strained and unnatural. The most embarrassing song on this CD is 'It's Up To You'. Not only are the lyrics downright odd for a 63 year old to singing, her vocals and vibrato are incredibly uneven and she seems out of pitch in places (something I've rarely ever heard Barbra do).
While I wanted to hear a top quality CD from this project, it really isn't here. I will say that the backing tracks are lush, but at the same time very dated sounding and each track sounds much the same (track to track). Guilty Pleasures is worth a listen, but know that it doesn't hold a candle to her much more self-assured vocals of the past. Barbra's voice never did lend itself to this style of 'pop' even when this soft easy style was popular. Barbra should really stick to the style of songs that works with her vocal sound and technique.
If you are Barbra completionist, then by all means buy Guilty Pleasures. If you're looking for high quality Barbra material, then you should start with her earlier material first and work your way towards this CD as one of the last to buy.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Pleasant but bland Dec 06, 2007
I've tried to like this CD, but I just can't. Even the pictures of them on the cover are bad.
It's maybe pleasant as background music since nothing stands out or captures your attention.
There's currently so many used copies for sale on Amazon Marketplace - the price is down to $0.87. I won't even bother selling mine. I'm going to just through it in the garbage - where it belongs.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Definitely pleasures. No need to be guilty though. Oct 12, 2007
The first time Barbra Streisand collaborated with Barry Gibb, the end result was Guilty, not only Barbra's most successful studio album, but also a fan favorite, as well as an album often cited as one of her greatest works. Twenty-five years later, the two reunited for Guilty Pleasures, one of her best releases in years.
01. "Come Tomorrow" begins the album. Duetting with Gibb, this is a wonderful track that sounds like doo-wop crossed with disco. A-
02. "Stranger In A Strange Land" is a catchy song about one missing a loved one out to war. Very appropriate for this time, and makes you feel good after listening. A
03. "Hideaway" is another love song, though this one is more sexy and romantic sounding. However, it's not the catchiest song on the album, and sounds like it's all over the place music-wise. B-
04. "It's Up To You" is probably the best song on the album. Very relaxing vocals and arrangements make you want to just sit back and enjoy. A
05. "Night Of My Life" is a disco-inspired uptempo song, which is just fun. At the very least, your feet will be tapping. B+
06. "Above The Law" is the other duet with Barry. This has a more sexy feel to it than the previous one, and the two show they still have great musical chemistry. A
07. "Without Your Love" is classic Streisand; a beautiful ballad sung with great emotion, and comes close to giving the chills. A-
08. "All The Children" is another catchy song, fairly preachy in manner. Not really sure what the song is supposed to be about, but seems to be about being yourself. Pretty good. B
09. "Golden Dawn" is a very lush, almost exotic sounding song, reminiscent to her Love Like Ours release. Probably the richest song on this release, you will like to get lost in the melody. B+
10. "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" is, again, another catchy tune. Great background vocals complement a very lovely song. B
11. "Letting Go," the last song on the album, is the least catchy of them all, but with that said, it is still beautiful and complements the album well. Just a little too sad for a generally upbeat release. B-
When released, Guilty Pleasures had a lot going for it, and was poised to be a huge success. However, due to poor promotion, in which Streisand herself basically said the record company made her do this and that she doesn't want to think about it anymore, the album faded fast. Despite this, this is a fantastic album that is almost as good as Guilty. Not one song is bad, and it is enjoyable to the last second.
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