Barbara Streisand may have enjoyed early success in the 60s and even some continued success into the 80s, but by 2005 her appeal to the mainstream audience seems dated, and her position as an icon has been completely lost on this generation. “Guilty Pleasures” is the belated sequel to her best-selling album:”Guilty.” The album is a collaboration with Barry Gibb, a former Bee Gees member.
Aside from smooth production values, this album sounds reminiscent of her earlier work, a trait that is a telling sign of its problems. In order for artists to remain relevant, they must change with the times, grow musically and bring in new fans. Like every artist past his or her prime, there will always be a loyal fan-base of support, but it is a mark of rare artistry to be able to reinvent oneself time and again, gaining new fans in the process without alienating the old ones. Barbara falls into the trap of playing it safe and therefore gains nothing new this on her latest CD.
As indicated in the title, Streisand seems to have set a low standard for herself. “Guilty Pleasures” presents itself as an album begging for forgiveness at the outset for its lack of progress and yet asks us to love it for its intrinsic charm. The fact that it plays like a clone of its former self is irritating enough, but ultimately Streisand loses all hope of appealing to this generation because of her failure to pursue a higher standard of music.
The album is not bad simply because it features an older sound (after all, there are many bands whose retro sound is the very reason we love them). It is because it sounds exactly like her former work that it is so reproachable.
As mentioned previously, the album does have some great production value. “Guilty Pleasures” flows very well, and the whole album encapsulates the essence of easy listening, albeit by sounding like a relic from the early 80s. Fortunately, Streisand’s voice has withstood the ages and sounds nearly as great as it always has. Gibbs, on the other hand, sounds somewhat strained. Overall, however, their voices harmonize together well, and it’s easy to see how their two talents mesh.
The album opens with “Come Tomorrow,” which is easily one of the best tracks in the package. Warm atmosphere surrounds the entire piece as Streisand and Gibbs embark on a nice love anthem. Low saxophone enhances the mood nicely, and its only fault is how utterly old the sound is. “Hideaway” introduces a nice Latin beat to spice things up a bit, percussion makes a noticeable difference in “All the Children” and some disco makes an appearance during “Night of My Life.” As a whole, however, many songs on the album sound remarkably similar to one another. This is especially noticeable towards the end, as it drags on and on.
“Guilty Pleasures” isn’t entirely bad, but how many cookie-cutter Streisand songs does a person need? Without any sort of change in the formula, there is honestly no reason to own this CD. This album joins the long list of fairly enjoyable but ultimately gratuitous albums from artists who’ve outlived their shelf-life.
