Knock-out tunes from Barbra Streisand and Regine Velasquez
STREISAND. Sings with similarly gifted only son in “Back to Brooklyn.”
Barbra Streisand is known for her outspoken nature and penchant for perfectionism—so, it comes as a big surprise to learn about her “debilitating” stage fright.
She finally opens up about this “affliction” in her knockout live album, “Back to Brooklyn,” which marks the first time she performed in her hometown since she began her ascent to superstardom in the ’50s.
She discloses, “In 1967, I did a concert in Central Park—a show that gave me such stage fright (because I forgot the lyrics to one of my songs) that I didn’t return to the concert stage for 27 years! I was drawn back to it because you guys make it truly gratifying. —Never say never, because it ain’t over till the fat lady sings—and I’m not that fat!”
In the album, Streisand’s legendary voice is still as technically exceptional as it is pitch-perfect, but her famous pipes are no longer as snag-free (“Didn’t We?”) as when she first sang her signature 1964 tune, “People,” on Broadway, in “Funny Girl.”
But, Streisand isn’t just a singer gifted with an exceptional voice. She “sells” her punchlines as proficiently as she champions her various advocacies.
After singing the opener, “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” she recalls, “The last time I sang solo here was on somebody’s stoop on Pulaski street—I was 8.”
When she isn’t giving you goosebumps for her stirring renditions of “The Way He Makes Me Feel,” “Evergreen,” “The Way We Were,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “Make Our Garden Grow” (from “Candide,” with Italian operatic trio, Il Volo), or turning concertgoing into an edge-of-your-seat experience via her show-stopping medley from “Gypsy” and “Funny Girl,” she’ll bowl you over with revealing anecdotes about her storied career!
VELASQUEZ. Moving tributes to father and child.
Backed by a 65-piece orchestra, the 71-year-old songstress retrofits the lyrics of Pinoy jukebox favorite, “Looking Through The Eyes Of Love” (from 1978’s “Ice Castles”), to pay homage to its songwriter, Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away last August.
But, the concert’s pièce de résistance is “How Deep Is The Ocean,” Barbra’s electrifying duet with her only son, Jason Gould—whose glorious voice made his mom gush all throughout the number. He sounds like a lighter and more improvisational Josh Groban and a male version of Streisand herself, no kidding! (The concert’s DVD set has Gould singing “This Masquerade” and “Nature Boy,” and Barbra remembers Donna Summer, who succumbed to lung cancer last May, via “No More Tears.”)
The 46-year-old Gould asked his proud mom, “When I was a child, did we ever sing a song from anything you weren’t in?” Streisand winkingly quipped, “No—but, we did sing ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ together!”
‘Hulog Ka Ng Langit’
Like Streisand, our country’s premier songstress, Regine Velasquez, also loves having her 2-year-old only son (with Ogie Alcasid), Nathaniel James, close by. Her chart-topping latest collection, “Hulog Ka Ng Langit,” is dedicated to Nate and her father, Mang Gerry, whom she refers to as “my mentor, teacher and Leader of the Band.”
The album’s 17-track repertoire is special not just for its seamlessly rendered covers (“Rainbow Connection,” “Someone’s Waiting For You,” “Tomorrow,” Danny Javier’s “Pag-ibig”), but also for the torch-passing poignancy conveyed in the songs, as well as the photo album that comes with it. Just looking at a beaming Mang Gerry lying beside his wide-eyed apo, and Nate “tickling” the piano beside his busy dad will make you feel warm and fuzzy.
Regine performs two tunes from PhilPop, Marlon Barnuevo’s “Araw, Ulap, Langit,” and Lara Maigue’s “Sa ‘Yo Na Lang Ako,” which sounds lovelier with the songbird’s steady, sturdy vocals. Then, she shares Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are” with Ogie.
The hefty collection’s soothing tunes (Aaron Paul del Rosario’s “My Child” and the radio-friendly title track) brim with maternal pride and joy—but, the seasoned singer appropriately reserves her highest and longest notes for Jude Gitamondoc’s “Nathaniel (Gift of God).”
Another irresistible treat: Regine’s breathtaking cover of Gary Valenciano’s Christmas lullaby, “Hele Ni Inay”—a suitable companion piece to 1991’s “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan” (from her third album, “Tagala Talaga”), and a glowing reminder of a mother’s abiding love and affection!
