Barbra Streisand announces ‘The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two’ with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Hozier and more 

Barbra Streisand has announced a new album called ‘The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two’, which features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Hozier and more. Check out the lead single below.

The album comes as the long-awaited sequel to the iconic singer’s chart-topping 2014 album ‘Partners’, and is set for release via Columbia on June 27. Visit here to pre-order.

Across the album, 11 songs are featured and all see the legendary vocalist team up with some huge names from across different generations. Paul McCartney, for example, features on ‘My Valentine’, while Bob Dylan sings on ‘The Very Thought Of You’, and Josh Groban stars on ‘Where Do I Go From You?’.

Other huge names featured include Sting, James Taylor, Sam Smith, Seal, Tim McGraw and NME Cover star Laufey. The sixth song on the tracklist, ‘One Heart, One Voice’ will see Streisand collaborate with both Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande.

Today (April 30), Streisand celebrated the announcement of the album by sharing the lead single ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. It comes as the opening track to the record and also sees the singer join forces with Hozier. Check it out below.

“Barbra Streisand is one of the most enduring and iconic vocalists of our time, and somebody who defined an era with the sheer force of her voice, her talent, charisma and vision,” Hozier said. “To be asked to join her on a duet was a huge honour and came as a wonderful and welcome surprise.

Of the choice of song they covered, he added: “Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, made famous by the stunning Roberta Flack recording, has always mystified me. It is, to me, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. Like so many, I was deeply saddened to hear of her recent passing. Along with the honour I have to sing on this record with Barbra, I hope this duet offers something of a gesture to Roberta Flack’s incredible legacy.”

According to a new description, the title for the album was partly inspired by a photograph taken by Barbra’s daughter-in-law, Kathryn Boyd Brolin, which captures her joyful expression while watching her granddaughters at play.

Orchestrations for the album were provided by William Ross and David Campbell, and it was produced by Grammy-winners Walter Afanasieff and Peter Asher, as well as A&R executive Jay Landers and Streisand herself.

“I’ve always loved singing duets with gifted artists,” the ‘Guilty’ singer said. ‘They inspire me in unique and different ways…and make our time in the studio a joy!

“My new album, ‘The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two’, gave me the chance to work and play with some of my old friends, label mates, and new artists too. I admire all of them… and I hope that you’ll enjoy listening to our collaborations as much as I enjoyed recording with all of my wonderful partners.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Barbra Streisand (@barbrastreisand)

Check out the full tracklist below.

The ‘Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two’ tracklist is:

1. ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ With Hozier  
2. ‘My Valentine’ With Paul McCartney  
3. ‘To Lose You Again’ With Sam Smith  
4. ‘The Very Thought Of You’ With Bob Dylan 
5.  ‘Letter To My 13-Year-Old Self’ With Laufey
6. ‘One Heart, One Voice’ With Mariah Carey & Ariana Grande 
7. ‘I Love Us’ With Tim Mcgraw 
8. ‘Secret O’ Life’ With James Taylor 
9. ‘Fragile’ With Sting
10. ‘Where Do I Go From You?’ With Josh Groban
11. ‘Love Will Survive’ With Seal

In other Barbra Streisand news, the singer closed out 2024 with a moving tribute to the late record producer – and her past collaborator – Richard Perry.

“Richard had an uncanny ability to pick the hits, and most important to me, a wonderful sense of humour. We had such fun in the studio…and we became really good life-long friends,” she wrote.

“We worked together on two albums, ‘Stoney End’ and ‘Barbra Joan Streisand’, where he encouraged me to record contemporary songs. It was exciting to explore that kind of material with him,” she added.

“By the way, Richard thought Laura Nyro’s ‘Stoney End’ would be a hit for me, and I thought he was nuts! I was so happy to be proven wrong! He was a truly special person and I’m so grateful our paths crossed. Rest in musical peace Richard.”

The post Barbra Streisand announces ‘The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two’ with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Hozier and more  appeared first on NME.