( Columbia Records; New York, NY — August 13, 2014 ) — Columbia Records has announced the upcoming release of Barbra Streisand's "Partners" album, to debut on September 16th, 2014, featuring 12 inimitable new Streisand duets with the world's greatest male vocalists.
Ms. Streisand took to Instagram on August 11th to announce to the world the official September 16th release date for "Partners." Fans can pre-order "Partners" now. All those who pre-order the album will receive a new downloadable song "New York State Of Mind," with Billy Joel. The Lionel Richie duet of the classic "The Way We Were" will be also be made available to pre-ordering fans on August 26. The third Instant Grat track, the Michael Bublé duet "It Had To Be You," - will be downloadable via pre-order on September 2.
The inspired new musical pairings on "Partners" include, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds, Jason Gould, Josh Groban, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Blake Shelton, Stevie Wonder and a breathtaking virtual duet with the King of rock n' roll, Elvis Presley. The new album, which is executive produced by Ms. Streisand and Jay Landers, is produced by 'Babyface' and Walter Afanasieff.
"Partners" is comprised of 12 songs, many of which are regarded as Streisand classics. Among the songs included are "New York State Of Mind," with Billy Joel, "It Had To Be You," with Michael Bublé, "Come Rain Or Come Shine," with John Mayer, "Love Me Tender," with Elvis Presley, "The Way We Were," with Lionel Richie, "What Kind Of Fool," with John Legend, "People," with Stevie Wonder, "I Can Still See Your Face," with Andrea Bocelli, "Evergreen," with Babyface, and Ms. Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her son Jason Gould, on "How Deep Is The Ocean."
Throughout her career, Barbra Streisand has generously shared microphone and spotlight to create some of the most magical duets in music history. Ms. Streisand has elevated the craft of pairing incomparable vocal styles with impeccable song choices, transforming the realm of the duet into the summit of collaborative artistry. For more than six decades she has seamlessly blended such extraordinary moments — both live and in the studio — into an acclaimed body of work that is unrivaled in popular music.
Ms. Streisand is currently the best-selling female recording artist in history and the only woman to make the All-Time Top 10 Best Selling artists list, an honor which includes "Partners" duettist Elvis Presley. Ms. Streisand has recorded 51 gold, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums in her career, including nine #1s, and is the only recording artist to have accomplished #1 album in five consecutive decades.
Recognized as an icon in multiple entertainment fields, Ms. Streisand has attained unprecedented achievements as a recording artist, actor of stage and screen, concert performer, movie producer, film director, author and songwriter. In her accomplished career she has been awarded two Oscars, five Emmys, ten Golden Globes, eight Grammys, a special Tony award in 1970 as star of the decade, and two Cable Ace awards — the only artist to receive honors in all of those fields of endeavor. Ms. Streisand is the recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Medal, two Peabody Awards, A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Grammy Legend Award. Ms. Streisand is also the first film director to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.
Most recently, Columbia Records released Barbra Streisand's "Back To Brooklyn" concert CD/DVD, which reached #1 on the Billboard Top DVD Music Videos chart in December of 2013. Ms. Streisand has topped the DVD charts five times, earning nine Gold DVDs, six Platinum and three Multi-Platinum citations.
The "Back To Brooklyn" concert CD/DVD captures Streisand's first musical performance in her native Brooklyn since she departed at age 16 to pursue her acting career and became one of the most popular and acclaimed musical performers in history.
All the artists featured on "Partners" have achieved global acclaim. Below are just a few highlights from their prestigious careers:
Babyface: Has written and produced over 26 No. 1 R&B hits throughout his career. He has won 10 Grammy Awards.
Andrea Bocelli: Has recorded fourteen solo albums, selling over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists. In 1999, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. "The Prayer", his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film Quest for Camelot, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. Seven of his albums have since reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Michael Bublé: Has won four Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. Bublé's 2009 album Crazy Love debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 after three days of sales, and remained there for two weeks.
Babyface: Has written and produced over 26 No. 1 R&B hits throughout his career. He has won 10 Grammy Awards.
Jason Gould: Actor, director, producer, writer and singer, his self-titled EP garnered rave reviews in 2012, as did his live duets with Barbra Streisand on her 2012 fall tour and her live CD/DVD package of Ms. Streisand's critically acclaimed 2012 "Back To Brooklyn" concert.
Josh Groban: His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and in 2007, he charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in the nation. To date, he has sold over 25 million records worldwide. Josh appeared on Ms. Streisand's 2002 album, "Duets," a compilation of her duet performances throughout her career, form 1963 to 2002.
Billy Joel: Has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States. He is also a six-time Grammy Award winner who has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards throughout his career. He has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.
John Legend: Has won nine Grammy Awards. He has gained chart topping hits from his solo work, including the Billboard Hot 100 No.1 peaking single, "All of Me".
John Mayer: In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland." He has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and over 20 million albums worldwide.
Elvis Presley: The king of rock n' roll, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with estimated album sales of 600 million units worldwide. He was nominated for 14 Grammys and won three, receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36.
Lionel Richie: Has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Has won two Grammys.
Blake Shelton: Has charted 24 country singles, including 11 #1's. He has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award. Has won the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year twice.
Stevie Wonder: Has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist, and has sold over 100 million albums and singles, making him one of the Top 60 best selling artists.
Track Listing for "Partners"
1. It Had To Be You with Michael Bublé
2. People with Stevie Wonder
3. Come Rain Or Come Shine with John Mayer
4. Evergreen with Babyface
5. New York State Of Mind with Billy Joel
6. I'd Want It To Be You with Blake Shelton
7. The Way We Were with Lionel Richie
8. I Still Can See Your Face with Andrea Bocelli
9. How Deep Is The Ocean with Jason Gould
10. What Kind Of Fool with John Legend
11. Somewhere with Josh Groban
12. Love Me Tender with Elvis Presley
