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Partners (Barbra Streisand album)

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 (who died in 1977). The collection also features Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her now 47-year-old son, Jason Gould.[1] 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.[2]

Partners

September 16, 2014

2013–2014

  • Brandon's Way (Hollywood, California)
  • Capitol Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)
  • Crescent Moon Studios (Miami, Florida)
  • Grandma's House (Malibu, California)
  • SoulFuel Studios (Brentwood, Tennessee)
  • The Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Brothers Studios (Burbank, California)
  • The Newman Scoring Stage, Fox Studios (Los Angeles, California)
  • The Streisand Scoring Stage, Sony Pictures (Culver City, California)
  • Verve Studio (Santa Monica, California)
  • WallyWorld Studios (Los Angeles, California)
  • Woodshed Recording Studios (Malibu, California)

50:27

While the recordings are new, most of the songs have a previous history as Streisand releases. Two classic Streisand duets are updated with new partners: "What Kind of Fool", newly performed with John Legend (originally with Barry Gibb) and "Lost Inside of You", newly performed with Kenny Edmonds (originally with Kris Kristofferson). The deluxe edition features an additional duet with Edmonds along with previously released material featuring Frank Sinatra (who died in 1998), Bryan Adams, Barry Manilow, and Barry Gibb (from The Bee Gees).


Partners is one of 2014's best-selling albums in the US, having sold 856,000 copies.[3] Partners topped the Billboard 200 with sales of 196,000 copies in the first week, making Streisand the only recording artist to have a number-one album in six different decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.)[4] It was also certified gold in November 2014 and platinum in January 2015, thus becoming Streisand's 52nd gold and 31st Platinum album (she also has 7 Gold-certified singles to her credit), more than any other female artist in history.[5] The album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal album at the 57th Grammy Awards.

Commercial performance[edit]

In its debut week, the album topped US Billboard 200 sales charts, selling over 196,000 copies.[6] It fell to number three the following week, selling 127,000 copies, the lowest second-week decline for a number one-debuting non-compilation album in nearly four years.[7] After just six weeks on sale, the album crossed half a million in US sales, having sold 526,000 copies total in the country.[8] Partners was 2014's seventh best-selling album in the US, having sold 856,000 copies.[3] As of September 2015, the album has sold 955,000 copies in the US.[9] It tops 1 million in traditional album sales in the week of August 14, 2017.[10]


In Canada and Australia the album also reached number one, selling 13,000 copies in each country.[11][12] In the Netherlands, New Zealand, and UK the album reached the number two spot on national sales charts, becoming Streisand's highest-charting album in the Netherlands since One Voice peaked at the same position in 1987.[13] In Ireland the album reached the number six position, becoming Streisand's highest-charting album since Guilty Pleasures in 2005.[14] The album debuted in the Top 10 in Austria, Germany, Spain and Poland, and reached Top 40 positions in Belgium (both regions), Denmark, Italy and Switzerland.

All tracks produced by and Walter Afanasieff; except "I Still Can See Your Face" produced by Bernie Herms, and "How Deep Is the Ocean" produced by Barbra Streisand.[21]

Kenny Edmonds

- piano (2-7, 10–11), guitar, mandolin played by, concertina programmed by (12), bass played by (4-7, 10), synths played by, rhythm programmed by (2, 4–7, 10–11), orchestra arranged by (1-7, 9-12)

Walter Afanasieff

- background vocals (4, 7, 10), lead vocals (4)

Kenny Edmonds

- bass played by (1, 3)

Chuck Berghofer

- drums (2)

Teddy Campbell

- drums (1, 3)

Peter Erskine

- piano, synth played by, rhythm programmed by, orchestra arranged by (8)

Bernie Herms

- guitar solo, vocals (3)

John Mayer

- bass played by (2)

Rickey Minor

- guitar (1, additional on 3), pedal steel guitar (6)

Dean Parks

Michael Ripoll - guitars (2, 4–5, 7, 10, additional on 6, 12)

- orchestra arranged by (1-7, 9-12), orchestra conducted by (All tracks)

William Ross

- piano (1)

Randy Waldman

- harmonica, vocals (2)

Stevie Wonder

Information is based on the Album's Liner Notes[21]

Barbra Archives: Partners (2014)