I’ve noticed a pattern when digging into the catalogs of major artists. They all seem to have a burst of activity for the first decade or two before tapering off. Maybe it’s because they’re too comfortable to put in the hard work, or perhaps their muse has just run out.
Barbra Streisand is no exception. After averaging more than an album a year for the first 23 years of her career, she hit the brakes. After The Broadway Album in 1985, she released just four more albums before the turn of the millennium.
Those releases included a sequel to her Broadway album titled Back to Broadway, plus three collections of romantic balladry. All four albums went Platinum or multi-Platinum, continuing a streak of such successes that started in the mid 70s.
The 2000s found Streisand releasing twists on her biggest successes. First, another holiday album in 2001’s Christmas Memories. Then, a big screen spin on The Broadway Album in 2003’s The Movie Album. And in 2005, a reunion with Barry Gibb for Guilty Pleasures.
The first Streisand album in awhile that felt like something brand-new is 2009’s Love is the Answer. Streisand teamed up with pianist/producer Diana Krall to deliver something she somehow hadn’t tried before — a collection of jazz standards.
The result is sublime. This lovely record sits high on my list of favorite Streisand albums. The supple arrangements are a perfect match for Streisand’s evocative vocals, and the song selection is a just-right blend of classics and underrated gems.
Alongside Stoney End, The Broadway Album, and Guilty, Love is the Answer encapsulates the breadth of Streisand’s talent as a recording artist.
Where do you start?
How do you separate the present from the past?
How do you deal with all the things you thought would last
That didn’t last?
With bits of memories scattered here and there
I look around and don’t know where to start
[Verse 2]
Which books are yours?
Which tapes and dreams belong to you and which are mine?
Our lives are tangled like the branches of a vine
That intertwine
So many habits that we’ll have to break
And yesterdays we’ll have to take apart
[Bridge]
One day there’ll be a song or something in the air again
To catch me by surprise and you’ll be there again
A moment in what might have been
[Verse 3]
Where do you start?
Do you allow yourself a little time to cry?
Or do you close your eyes and kiss it all goodbye?
I guess you try
And though I don’t know where and don’t know when
I’ll find myself in love again
I promise there will always be
A little place no one will see
A tiny part deep in my heart
That stays in love with you
Meet Me In Montauk 
I suspect that if I had achieved great success and wealth over decades of hard work, I too would be slowing down the pace – if not retiring altogether and enjoying the fruits of my labor.
I don’t know this song but it’s heartbreakingly beautiful. I love Diana Krall so this is a match made in heaven ❤️
I was telling Dana that I somehow stopped getting her new albums after the early 90s. I’ll be adding this one to my Apple music collection as this one’s a beauty.
She is extraordinary. I have loved this song for many years, but I had never heard her excellent interpretation of it. Thank you for introducing me to this recording (and album).