Songbird - BARBRA STREISAND***

Tomorrow/A Man I Loved/I Don't Break Easily/Love Breakdown/You Don't Bring Me Flowers/Honey Can I Put On Your Clothes/One More Night/Stay Away/Deep In The Night/Songbird

Songstress Barbra Streisand managed to retain her popularity throughout the 1970s despite changing musical tastes. Although her largely MOR sound was never much in fashion, her continuing appeal was not helped by albums such as Songbird with some undistinguished material. (US:12 UK:50)

“Maybe her 60s work is better, but this album is like a textbook in painfully sappy 70s soft rock. I think I have a pretty high level of appreciation for soft rock compared to most people, but this crosses the line into muzak.”

“This album remains one of the most under-rated Streisand albums to date. It is filled with Streisand gems, despite some of the silly lyrics. However, many times previously Streisand has taken our minds off the lyrics to a point where we only concentrate on her voice.”

“The only listenable songs on this album are the bookends: Barbra’s delivery of Tomorrow is splendid, and the title track, whilst not much of song to begin with, is spared the butchering treatment given the rest. It simply defies comprehension why Streisand chose such third-rate material, and then, to add insult to injury, decided not to sing but scream them at the top of her lungs.”

“Streisand's Songbird album is further evidence of the range of Barbra's voice at the time. If a lot of these songs are of lesser material, this is nothing new, since her choice of material has always been eclectic, even in her early recording days.”

“Many regard this as one of her forgettable '70s albums, but I think it's full of eclectic material. Barbra is in extremely good voice, and many of the songs are quite enjoyable. Who else could turn the annoying Tomorrow into a sunny and charming vocal.”

“There are two ways to listen to Songbird. One is to just listen to the power of Streisand's voice and marvel at it like watching a glorious storm from the safety of your window. The other way is to listen closely to these interpretations of largely third rate material, most of which are just sung loudly with little feeling for the lyrics, however mundane.”