Personnel: Barbra Streisand (vocals); Barry Gibb (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Dan Warner (guitar, guitars); Tom Scott (saxophone); Eero Turunen (keyboards); Julio Hernndez (bass guitar); Beth Cohen, Leesa Richards (background vocals); Doug Emery (keyboards, programming); Lee Levin (drums); Richard Bravo (percussion).
Audio Mixer: John Merchant.
Liner Note Author: Jay Landers .
Recording information: Grandma's House, Malibu, CA; Hit Factory Criteria Studio, North Miami, FL; Middle Ear Studio, South Beach, FL; The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, Culver City, CA.
Photographer: Alberto Tolot.
Twenty-five years after GUILTY, Barbra Streisand's runaway hit record with Barry Gibb, the duo reunited for 2005's GUILTY PLEASURES. While living up to that pop classic is a tall order, Streisand and Gibb are wonderful here, easing through breezy, uplifting tunes that are sure to please fans of both artists.
Babs sounds remarkably assured throughout GUILTY PLEASURES, undoubtedly due, at least in part, to working once again with Gibb, who knows how to elicit some of her finest, most pop-perfect performances. Although Gibb (who co-produced this disc with John Merchant) is credited with two duets on the record (the yearning "Come Tomorrow" and "Above the Law," an ode to deception), he's at his best when providing his signature high-pitched backing vocals and letting Streisand's powerful singing take center stage, as on the immediately catchy "Stranger in a Strange Land," the surprisingly club-ready "Night of My Life," and the vintage Bee Gees track "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away." Though GUILTY PLEASURES is aptly named, its unabashedly fun, fluffy atmosphere makes it that much more enjoyable.
