Release Me 2
Compilation album by
Barbra Streisand
ReleasedAugust 6, 2021
Recorded1962–2014
StudioVarious
GenreVocal 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 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]

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 Costa3:06
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
Region Date Format(s) Edition(s) Label Ref.
Various August 6, 2021
Columbia [31][32][33][34]

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.
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