Streisand’s First Album of Songs Written by Her Longtime Collaborators, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, to Debut on Columbia Records August 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The incomparable Barbra Streisand’s long-cherished desire to release an album of music with lyrics exclusively written by her collaborators and friends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, will be achieved with her latest release What Matters Most- Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman for Columbia Records.  The ten song album, and deluxe edition, will be available August 23, 2011.  

“What Matters Most” is Ms. Streisand’s first new album since the September 2009 release of “Love Is The Answer,” which debuted at Number One, making her the only artist to achieve number one albums in five consecutive decades.
The new album, which Streisand personally produced, is comprised of ten Bergman songs which Streisand has never previously recorded.  Included in the set are the Academy Award winning songs “The Windmills of Your Mind” (from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair);  “So Many Stars” (originally a hit song for Sergio Mendes &  Brazil ’66); “Nice ‘n’ Easy” (popularized by Frank Sinatra); and “That Face” (first recorded by Fred Astaire) .  The CD will be packaged in a jewel box with a 24-page color booklet.
The deluxe edition CD will include ten previously released performances of Barbra singing the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman including “The Way We Were”, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “Papa Can You Hear Me?” and “Pieces of Dreams”.
Reflecting on her long-held desire to devote an entire album to the amazingly varied and consistently inspired music of the Bergmans, Streisand noted, “Alan and Marilyn Bergman have a remarkable gift for expressing affairs of the heart.”
The affection and respect between lyricists and artist is quite wonderful.  “When we write a song, we hear Barbra,” said lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  “She makes the connection from the heart to the mind, and it emerges through her voice.” 
According to the RIAA, Barbra Streisand is the #1 best selling female recording artist in history and the only woman to make the Top 10 all time best selling artists list, which includes Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Over the course of her career, Streisand has recorded 50 gold, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums, all records for female performers.  An artist of unparalleled accomplishments in multiple entertainment fields, Streisand has made her mark as an award winning actress of stage and screen, recording artist, concert performer, movie producer, film director, author and songwriter. (She won an Academy Award for writing the music to “Evergreen” – the theme song from “A Star Is Born”)
Having earned two Oscars (Best Actress and Best Song), five Emmys, ten Golden Globes, eight Grammys, a special Tony Award (in 1970 as “Star of the Decade”), and two Cable Ace awards, she is the only performer to hold honors from all of those institutions.   In addition, Streisand is a recipient of the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Medal, two prestigious Peabody Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Grammy Legend Award.  She’s also received the Kennedy Center Honors and most recently the MusiCares Person of the Year Award.
During their distinguished career Alan and Marilyn Bergman have been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, winning three for “The Windmills of Your Mind” (1968) “The Way We Were” (1973) and the score for “Yentl” (1984).  “The Way We Were” also earned a Golden Globe and two Grammys.
SOURCE Columbia Records