Barbra Streisand is going back to the buddy system for her next album, joining forces with several generations’ worth of stars, from Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney to Hozier and Laufey, for a collection of duets. The record, titled “The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two,” is a sequel to her 2014 album “Partners” and comes out June 27.
One of the 11 tracks, “One Heart, One Voice,” is not a duet but rather finds Streisand forming a trio with two of the biggest voices in music, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande.
Others signing on to sing with Streisand include Sting, James Taylor, Sam Smith, Josh Groban, Tim McGraw and Seal.
The first single, a collaboration with Hozier on the classic “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” has just been released to DSPs.
In a statement, Hozier said, “Barbra Streisand is one of the most enduring and iconic vocalists of our time, and somebody who defined an era with the sheer force of her voice, her talent, charisma and vision. To be asked to join her on a duet was a huge honor and came as a wonderful and welcome surprise. Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,’ made famous by the stunning Roberta Flack recording, has always mystified me. It is, to me, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Like so many, I was deeply saddened to hear of her recent passing. Along with the honour I have to sing on this record with Barbra, I hope this duet offers something of a gesture to Roberta Flack’s incredible legacy.”
Dylan has rarely recorded duets over the decades, so fans will be eager to hear how her butter matches with his granular tone. They hooked up for a familiar standard, “The Very Thought of You.” (The closest equivalent to this teaming for Dylan might be the time he aligned with Bette Midler for a duet back in 1975, although in that case, they were recording one of his compositions, “Buckets of Rain.”)
In a few instances on Streisand’s forthcoming album, the song chosen comes out of the catalog of her duet partner. That’s the case with McCartney: “My Valentine” is the one original song the ex-Beatles penned for what was otherwise an album of standards, “Kisses on the Bottom,” and represented his own attempt at writing something in that vein. He has continued to perform the ballad on tour.
Sting’s “Fragile” is also one of the most enduring ballads in his own songbook. And Laufey, who is still in her early 20s and only has two albums out, gets quite an honor by having Streisand join her for a duet version of her introspective song “Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self.”
Streisand said, “I’ve always loved singing duets with gifted artists. They inspire me in unique and different ways…and make our time in the studio a joy! My new album, ‘The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two,‘ gave me the chance to work and play with some of my old friends, label mates, and new artists too. I admire all of them… and I hope that you’ll enjoy listening to our collaborations as much as I enjoyed recording with all of my wonderful partners.”
The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff and Peter Asher, with Streisand and her longtime A&R executive Jay Landers as executive producers. Orchestrations were handled by William Ross and David Campbell, recorded at The Streisand Scoring Stage in Culver City, California and with the venerable London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, London.
The track list:
1. THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE with Hozier
2. MY VALENTINE with Paul McCartney
3. TO LOSE YOU AGAIN with Sam Smith
4. THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU with Bob Dylan
5. LETTER TO MY 13 YEAR OLD SELF with Laufey
6. ONE HEART, ONE VOICE with Mariah Carey & Ariana Grande
7. I LOVE US with Tim McGraw
8. SECRET O’ LIFE with James Taylor
9. FRAGILE with Sting
10. WHERE DO I GO FROM YOU? with Josh Groban
11. LOVE WILL SURVIVE with Seal
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