Streisand’s timeless ‘Partners’ soars

Barbra Streisand
“Partners” 
(Sony)

Barbra Streisand’s “Partners” isn’t just about star-powered duets, but partnerships of love and family. It’s a love album for the ages, as fit for your anniversary as your parents’ or your child’s wedding. It could have been called “Timeless,” but Babs already used that title in 2000.

Streisand sings with a stellar list of partners on her 34th studio album, including the awesome and unexpected: Andrea Bocelli, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (who coproduced the album), Blake Shelton and Elvis Presley. The new recordings of beloved standards and some of Streisand’s best-known love songs feature her collaborators’ talents perfectly, and every track delivers.

Stevie Wonder’s sweet harmonica warms up their rendition of “People.” John Mayer and his guitar bring the blues to “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Michael Buble’s velvet voice matches the big-band charm of “It Had to Be You.” Bocelli lends drama and grandeur to “I Can Still See Your Face.” (AP)


Hudson lacks personal style on 3rd album

Jennifer Hudson
“JHUD” 
(RCA)

Jennifer Hudson’s new album, “JHUD,” would fly off the shelves if every copy included a tiny stage, complete with miniature Jennifer Hudson singing live.

Her voice ― that powerful instrument capable of toppling pillars, and sending wigs into a tailspin ― is what enraptured “American Idol” audiences back in 2004, and the rest of the world in 2006 with “Dreamgirls,” which won Hudson an Oscar.

But three albums into Hudson’s music career, the Grammy-winning star still sounds like she’s singing other people’s music. That is to say, while “JHUD” is solid collection of tracks, Hudson seems to be conforming to fit a sound and persona not her own.

“Daddy do, do or die, tatt my name so I know you’re mine,” she sings on opening track “Dangerous” ― a far cry from the “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” of yore. That soulfulness takes a backseat to the tough-chick-in-love persona that drives “JHUD,” rippling through the sassy “Walk It Out,” featuring Timbaland, and “He Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” with Iggy Azalea. (AP)


Prince seeks relevance in double release

Prince
“Art Official Age”
“PLECTRUMELECTRUM” (Warner Bros.)

To attract attention, album releases can’t just be album releases these days. They need to be Events ― surprises, giveaways or, in U2’s case, both. Prince’s entry is the appearance of two stylistically distinct discs on the same day, emphasizing his freakish versatility. They also mark his return to original home Warner Bros., the company he once protested by writing “slave” on his face and briefly changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

The disc “Art Official Age” is Prince as the studio wizard, a funk album on which he sings and plays everything. On “PLECTRUMELECTRUM,” he leads his three-piece, all-female band 3RDEYEGIRL.

The centerpiece of “Art Official Age” is the evening seduction song “U Know,” cleverly driven by a repeated female vocal loop, followed by the morning seduction song “Breakfast Can Wait.” They’re two of his strongest cuts in decades. Yet the hurdle most veteran artists face, that technical ability now outstrips the spark of inspiration that makes a song memorable, weakens this disc. (AP)