Walls

by Barbra Streisand

Overview

Having established her own philanthropic foundation in 1986, Barbra Streisand has long been an outspoken proponent for the protection of the environment, world peace, civil rights, and women's rights. She brings these passions to bear on her sophisticated 2018 studio album Walls. While Walls is certainly borne out of Streisand's own deeply heartfelt feelings regarding the state of the world and the seemingly divisive nature of American politics circa 2018, it's also a lushly produced and ruminative album that allows the multi-Grammy-winning singer to strike a pleasingly sincere tone with a broad appeal. Executive-produced by Streisand and Jay Landers, along with production and songwriting pros including Carole Bayer Sager, Walter Afanasieff, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and others, Walls features a mix of newly penned originals and thoughtfully curated covers that evokes the adult-contemporary pop she championed throughout the '70s and '80s. Explicitly, the orchestral title-track, delivered with Broadway-level drama by Streisand, is a plea for bridging our personal differences rather than walling ourselves off. It's a sweeping, movie-perfect song, and showcases how Streisand's highly resonant voice has only grown richer with age. Several other songs, including the classical guitar-accented "What's on My Mind" and the hypnotic, piano-driven "Don't Lie to Me," are earnest meditations on the need for kindness, empathy, and honesty in our society. Elsewhere, she and writer/producer Desmond Child weave lines from Emma Lazarus' 1883 Statue of Liberty sonnet "The New Colossus" into their sweeping ballad "Lady Liberty." Similarly, with the Sager, Landers, and Jonas Myrin co-write "Better Angels," Streisand draws directly upon President Abraham Lincoln's 1861 inaugural address singing "We are not enemies, there is no good in that." Streisand's cover choices also evoke a thoughtful timeliness as she pairs with Michael McDonald and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds for Burt Bacharach and Hal David's Vietnam-era classic "What the World Needs Now." Equally timely is her gorgeously melancholy reading of the standard "Happy Days Are Here Again." There's both a sadness and warmth to Streisand's performances on Walls that befits the album's subject matter and speaks to her own ability to communicate to, and often for, her audience. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2018
Label:	Columbia / Sony Music
UPC:	0190758954912
Rank:	62370

Tracks

1. What¿¿¿s On My Mind
2. Don¿¿¿t Lie To Me
3. Imagine/What A Wonderful World
4. Walls
5. Lady Liberty
6. What The World Needs Now
7. Better Angels
8. Love¿¿¿s Never Wrong
9. The Rain Will Fall
10. Take Care Of This House
11. Happy Days Are Here Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Barbra Streisand   Primary Artist
Clay Perry   Keyboards
John Shanks   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Desmond Child   Keyboards
Lucy Woodward   Vocals (Background)
Nathan East   Guitar (Bass)
Walter Afanasieff   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Michael McDonald   Vocals
Tiffany Plamer   Vocals (Background)
Missi Hale   Vocals (Background)
Tim Pierce   Guitar (Electric)
Mabvuto Carpenter   Vocals (Background)
Kenneth Edmonds   Vocals
Leo Amuedo   Guitar (Acoustic)
David Campbell   Keyboards
Jonas Myrin   Vocals (Background)
Tariqh Akoni   Guitar (Acoustic)
Tim Davis   Choir Director
Annie Bosko   Vocals (Background)
Blake Slatkin   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Steve Dorff   Composer
Bob Thiele   Composer
Jack Yellen   Composer
Alan Jay Lerner   Composer
Clay Perry   Arranger,Programming
Charlie Midnight   Composer
Marilyn Bergman   Composer
Jay Landers   Composer,Liner Notes,Executive Producer
David Pack   Composer
Kris Wilkinson   Music Contractor
John Lennon   Composer
John Shanks   Composer,Producer,Programming
Leonard Bernstein   Composer
Desmond Child   Composer,Producer,Programming
Marty Panzer   Composer
Walter Afanasieff   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Orchestral Arrangements
Obie O'Brien   Orchestration Recording
Milton Ager   Composer
Yoko Ono   Composer
Alan Bergman   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
George David Weiss   Composer
William Ross   Arranger,Adaptation,Orchestral Arrangements
Shawn Murphy   Orchestration Recording
Steve Churchyard   Orchestration Recording
Hal David   Composer
Carole Bayer Sager   Composer
Barbra Streisand   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Art Direction,Executive Producer
David Foster   Arranger,Producer
Keith Gretlein   Engineer,Programming
Vlado Meller   Mastering
Tyler Gordon   Engineer
Jorge Calandrelli   Orchestral Arrangements
David Campbell   Producer,Programming,String Arrangements
Shari Sutcliffe   Music Contractor
Ian Fraser   Arranger
Mark Graham   Music Preparation
Gina Zimmitti   Music Contractor
Jonas Myrin   Arranger,Composer,Co-Arranger,Associate Producer
Evan Lamberg   Media Consultant
Jeri Heiden   Design
Martin Erlichman   Representation
Adrian Bradford   Engineer
Russell James   Photography
Whitney Martin   Music Contractor
Mary Webster   Score Coordinator
Blake Slatkin   Programming
Dmytro Gordon   Engineer