Release Me 2

Last updated
Release Me 2
Streisand Release-Me-2 cover.jpg
Compilation album by
Barbra Streisand
ReleasedAugust 6, 2021
Recorded1962–2014
StudioVarious
Genre Vocal pop
Length33:56
Label
Producer
  • Barbra Streisand
  • Burt Bacharach
  • Jochem van der Saag
  • Walter Afanasieff
  • Babyface
  • Don Costa
  • Mike Berniker
  • Barry Gibb
  • John Merchant
  • Michel Legrand
  • John Arias
Barbra Streisand chronology
Walls
(2018)		Release Me 2
(2021)		 Live at the Bon Soir
(2022)
Singles from Release Me 2
  1. "I'd Want It to Be You"
    Released: June 4, 2021
  2. "Rainbow Connection"
    Released: June 25, 2021
  3. "Sweet Forgiveness"
    Released: July 1, 2021
  4. "Be Aware"
    Released: August 6, 2021

Release Me 2 is a compilation album of ten rare and previously unreleased recordings by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on August 6, 2021, it is a follow-up to her 2012 compilation Release Me . [1]

Contents

Sales of Release Me 2 extended Streisand's successful chart history in the U.S., making her the only woman with a top-20 album in each decade since the 1960s. [2]

Promotion

Release Me 2 was initially announced June 2, 2021, [3] followed two days later by the lead single "I'd Want It to Be You", a duet with Willie Nelson. [4] [5] An official lyric video directed by Matt Amato accompanied the single's release.

In an interview, Barbra talked about the unique 1994 track 'Sweet Forgiveness', released on July 1st, “When I was planning my return to the concert stage in 1994, I asked Walter [Afanasieff] to produce a song called Ordinary Miracles by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and Walter said, ‘If there’s time to record a second song, would you be interested in hearing something I wrote for you?’. “Then he sat down at the piano and played me this exquisite piece of music called Sweet Forgiveness.

"Ordinary Miracles took longer to record than we planned, so we only had time to do one complete pass [of Sweet Forgiveness], meaning I recorded my one take vocal, singing live with the orchestra".

Then there was a second duet, which came out on June 25: "Rainbow Connection" with Kermit the Frog. On July 1, "Sweet Forgiveness" premiered in the U.K. on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show , then subsequently released to digital platforms.

Zane Lowe joined Streisand at her home to discuss the album; their interview appeared August 4 on YouTube.

Critical reception

BroadwayWorld said, "Streisand displays courage and openness in exploring deep feelings and truly taking them in. Her unforgettable voice tells a story with each lyric and leaves the listener with much to think about long after each song ends." [6]

The Independent wrote, "Release Me 2 contains all the smarts and schmaltz of Babs at her best.... Streisand's voice is one of the most ridiculously luxurious instruments on the planet. A five-star penthouse suite of a voice: plush and spacious, with a solid-gold commitment to the lyrics and a sunken marble bathtub of soft-soapy soul in which to wallow." [7]

Metro Weekly said, "Release Me 2 is a thoughtfully compiled album with a good spread of songs from various points in Streisand's career, hitting most of the beats that a longtime fan would expect to hear.... Apart from a couple of memorable novelties, Release Me 2 is classic Streisand from beginning to end." [8]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at #10 on the Rolling Stone Top 200 Albums Chart, selling 23,700 units (19.7k pure) in the United States and became the 3rd highest debut of the week. [9] It also debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 units sold [10] and became the third top-selling album of the week [11] (second by a female artist). [12] [13] Streisand also re-entered Billboard's Artist 100 at #15. [14] On Billboard's Top Current Albums Sales, the album debuted at #2, [15] while on Billboard's Vinyl Album Chart, the album debuted at #5. [16]

Streisand now extends her record for the most top 40-charting albums among women in the history of the chart (54 albums). On top of that, she becomes the only woman with new top 20 –or even top 40 –albums in every decade from the 1960s through the 2020s. [2]

In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at #5, becoming her 15th Top 10 album in the country. [17] [18] In its second week, the album fell to number fifteen and number ninety-five in its third week. [19] The album performed moderately elsewhere, peaking inside the Top 20 including Germany, Australia and Switzerland.

Track listing

Standard version
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Be Aware" (intended for the 1971 TV special Singer Presents Burt Bacharach)
3:40
2."You Light Up My Life" (intended for ButterFly , 1974) Carole King
  • Streisand
  • Jochem van der Saag
3:38
3."I'd Want It to Be You" (with Willie Nelson) (intended for Partners , 2014)
  • Steve Dorff
  • Jay Landers
  • Bobby Tomberlin
4:02
4."Sweet Forgiveness" (recorded on April 7, 1994 at the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, Culver City)
  • Walter Afanasieff
  • John Bettis
  • Streisand
  • Afanasieff
5:12
5."Living Without You" (intended for Stoney End , 1971) Randy Newman
  • Streisand
  • Afanasieff
2:05
6."One Day (A Prayer)" (recorded in 1968, broadcast for the 1990 Earth Day Special )
 Don Costa 3:06
7."Rainbow Connection" (with Kermit the Frog, performed by Jim Henson) (intended for Wet , 1979)
  • Streisand
  • van der Saag
3:23
8."Right as the Rain" (from the musical Bloomer Girl , recorded in 1962)
Mike Berniker3:00
9."If Only You Were Mine" (with Barry Gibb) (intended for Guilty Pleasures , 2005)
  • B. Gibb
  • John Merchant
2:34
10."Once You've Been in Love" (recorded in 1973)
  • Legrand
  • A. Bergman
  • M. Bergman
  • Streisand
  • Legrand
  • John Arias
3:16
Total length:33:56
Target exclusive bonus track [1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."When the Lovin' Goes Out of the Lovin'" (intended for Emotion , 1984)
  • Richard Wold
  • Bobby Whiteside
3:44
Total length:37:40

Charts

Chart performance for Release Me 2
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [20] 15
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [21] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] 34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [23] 77
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [24] 32
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [25] 19
Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] 3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [27] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] 16
UK Albums (OCC) [29] 5
US Billboard 200 [30] 15

Release history

Release dates and formats
RegionDateFormat(s)Edition(s)LabelRef.
VariousAugust 6, 2021
 Columbia [31] [32] [33] [34]

Related Research Articles

<i>Guilty Pleasures</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2005 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Guilty Pleasures is the thirty-first studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released in September 2005 in conjunction with Barry Gibb. In Ireland and the UK, the album is titled Guilty Too. It is the follow-up to Streisand's 1980 album, Guilty, which also featured Barry Gibb. The album features a cover of Gibb's late brother Andy's song "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away".

<i>Guilty</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1980 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Guilty is the twenty-second studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand released on September 23, 1980, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and his group's regular production team of Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbra Streisand discography</span>

Barbra Streisand is an American actress and singer. Her discography consists of 117 singles, 36 studio albums, 12 compilations, 11 live albums, and 15 soundtracks. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Streisand is the second-best-selling female album artist in the United States with 68.5 million certified albums in the country, and a career total ranging from 150 to 200 million making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

<i>A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More</i> 1989 greatest hits album by Barbra Streisand

A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More is the fourth greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 3, 1989 by Columbia Records. The compilation features ten songs from Streisand's career, dating from 1975 to 1988, plus two previously unreleased songs: "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" was released as the album's lead single on September 14, 1989, and "Someone That I Used to Love" was distributed as the second and final one in 1989. Both singles charted on several record charts internationally.

<i>The Essential Barbra Streisand</i> 2002 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

The Essential Barbra Streisand is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks. It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.

<i>Duets</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2002 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

Duets is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on November 26, 2002, by Columbia Records. The collection features nineteen duets from Streisand's career, including two newly recorded ones: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The Manilow duet was released as the album's lead single on November 4, 2002, as a streaming-only exclusive for AOL Music website members.

<i>Wet</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Wet is the twenty-first studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1979. It is a concept album of sorts with all the songs referring to, or expressing different interpretations of, water. Wet is also the first and the last word sung on the album.

<i>Back to Broadway</i> 1993 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Back to Broadway is the twenty-sixth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1993. The album was Streisand's second collection of songs from Broadway musicals, after 1985's The Broadway Album. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and gave her the title of "only female artist to have a number one album in four different decades." The album sold 189,000 copies in the first week, and has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA, her fifth album to do so. The album was another smash hit for Streisand, also reaching the top 10 in Canada, the UK and Australia.

<i>Memories</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1981 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. The album was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard 200. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks. In the UK, where it was released as Love Songs, it reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart for nine weeks. The album was certified platinum in the UK, and 6× platinum in Australia. According to the liner notes of Streisand's retrospective box set, Just for the Record, the album also received a record certification in the Netherlands and in Switzerland.

<i>Higher Ground</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1997 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Higher Ground is the twenty-seventh studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, which, at the time, was her first in four years. The album was inspired by and dedicated to Virginia Clinton Kelley. It was released in North America on November 11, 1997, and a day earlier in Europe.

<i>Barbra Streisands Greatest Hits Volume 2</i> 1978 greatest hits album by Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Columbia Records. The album is a compilation consisting of ten commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1970s, with a majority of them being cover songs. It also features a new version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was released as the collection's only single on October 7, 1978. Originating on Streisand's previous album, Songbird, the new rendition is a duet with Neil Diamond who had also recorded the song for his 1978 album of the same name. The idea for the duet originated from DJ Gary Guthrie who sold the idea to the record label for $5 million.

<i>A Love Like Ours</i> 1999 studio album by Barbra Streisand

A Love Like Ours is the twenty-eighth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released in North America on September 21, 1999, and Europe on September 20, 1999. It is her 23rd Top 10 album in the US. This was Streisand's first commercial release since her marriage to actor James Brolin. Much of the material was inspired by this event. As such, the disc booklet contains images of her and Brolin.

<i>Emotion</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1984 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in October 1984 by Columbia Records. It was her first studio album in four years after the release of Guilty, which has since become her highest selling studio album worldwide.

<i>Love Is the Answer</i> (album) 2009 album by Barbra Streisand

Love Is the Answer is the thirty-second studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand released on September 29, 2009. The album consists of jazz standards and was produced by Diana Krall and Tommy LiPuma. It also features Krall on piano and orchestral arrangements by Johnny Mandel, Anthony Wilson and Alan Broadbent. A deluxe edition contains a bonus disc featuring versions of the songs with just Streisand's vocals and Krall's quartet.

<i>Release Me</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2012 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

Release Me is a 2012 compilation album of eleven rare and previously unreleased studio performances by American singer Barbra Streisand.

<i>Partners</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2014 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Partners is the thirty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on September 16, 2014, by Columbia Records. The album features Streisand singing duets with an all-male lineup including Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, and from an earlier recording, Elvis Presley. The collection also features Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her now 47-year-old son, Jason Gould. The album release was promoted on The Tonight Show, where Streisand was the evening's sole guest and sang a medley with host Jimmy Fallon.

<i>A Star Is Born</i> (1976 soundtrack) 1976 soundtrack album by Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson

A Star Is Born is the soundtrack album to the 1976 musical film of the same name, performed by its stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The album was very successful, holding the number-one spot on the US Billboard 200 chart for six weeks and eventually was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA for more than four million units shipped and has sold a total of eight million copies worldwide.

<i>Yentl</i> (soundtrack) 1983 soundtrack album by Barbra Streisand

Yentl is a soundtrack album to the film of the same name by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 8, 1983, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Streisand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand. The music is by Legrand and the lyrics by the Bergmans. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200 LP chart was gold and platinum status on January 9, 1984, by the RIAA for shipping 500,000 and 1 million copies, respectively.

<i>Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway</i> 2016 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway is the thirty-fifth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on August 26, 2016, by Columbia Records. Encore is her third studio album of Broadway songs and featured duets with several well-known actors including Jamie Foxx, Melissa McCarthy, among others. The album was promoted with the release of At the Ballet as a single.

<i>Walls</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 2018 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Walls is the thirty-sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on November 2, 2018, by Columbia Records. The lead single "Don't Lie to Me" was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid the presidency of Donald Trump, while the title track alludes to Trump's frequent calls for a wall at the Mexico border.

References

  1. 1 2 Marchese, Joe (June 2, 2021). "Be Aware: Barbra Streisand Reopens the Vaults for "Release Me 2"". The Second Disc. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Barbra Streisand Makes Chart History With 'Release Me 2' Billboard 200 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  3. ↑ Wild, Stephi (June 2, 2021). "Barbra Streisand Announces 'Release Me 2' Album of Previously Unreleased Tracks". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ Blistein, Jon (June 4, 2021). "Barbra Streisand Teases Rarities Album with Willie Nelson Duet 'I'd Want It to Be You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ Mier, Tomás (June 4, 2021). "Barbra Streisand Duets with Willie Nelson on 'I'd Want It to Be You' as She Announces New Album". People. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  6. ↑ Savoia, Courtney (August 6, 2021). "BWW Album Review: Barbra Streisand's Release Me 2 Opens Up Emotionally and Offers Clarity, Peace, and Healing for Life's Journey". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ Brown, Helen (August 4, 2021). "Barbra Streisand Review, Release Me 2: Her Voice Is One of the Most Ridiculously Luxurious Instruments on the Planet". The Independent. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  8. ↑ Maunier, Sean (August 6, 2021). "Album Review: Release Me 2 by Barbra Streisand". Metro Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Top 200 Popular Albums, Rolling Stone Music Charts" . Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  10. ↑ "Barbra Streisand Makes Chart History With 'Release Me 2' Billboard 200 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  11. ↑ "Top Album Sales Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  12. ↑ "billboardcharts". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  13. ↑ "BTS's "Butter" Holds On To Top 10 Spot On The Hot 100 + Japanese Album "BTS, The Best" Debuts On Billboard 200". Soompi. August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Artist 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  15. ↑ "Top Current Album Sales Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  16. ↑ "Vinyl Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  17. ↑ "Ed Sheeran's 'Bad Habits' Holds at No. 1 on U.K. Chart". www.billboard.com. 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  18. ↑ "Dave reclaims Official Albums Chart top spot". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  19. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  20. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Albums: Week 32 (2021)". El portal de Música (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España . Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." Billboard on Twitter. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Release Me 2 by Barbra Streisand on Apple Music". August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Press Release". barbrastreisand.com. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Barbra Streisand Official Store". August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Barbra Streisand – Release Me 2 (Target Exclusive, CD)". Target. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.