CoronaVinyl Day 376 (S): Color Me Barbra by Barbra Streisand

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "S," and my most recent haul of records from my neighbor included several Barbra Streisand albums, so I'm going with her 1966 album Color Me Barbra, the companion album for a March 1966 TV special she had that was broadcast in color (which was still a new thing back then).

Streisand, of course, has been a star of stage and screen for six decades and is one of the most successful female artists and one of the best-selling artists of any gender identity of all-time.  If you consider her Special Tony Award as a Tony, she is one of three people to get a PEGOT (Peabody Award, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).  Her list of achievements is second to none.

Color Me Barbra is indicative of her early work.  It's generally show tunes or traditional pop, meant to highlight her voice, which sounds older and fuller than one might expect for a 24-year-old.  This isn't the kind of music I particularly enjoy, but I can appreciate it for what it is.

The album went to #3 on the Billboard album chart, and it was nominated for Grammys for Album of the Year and for Best Female Vocal Performance.

Interesting tidbit:  She was high school classmates with both Neil Diamond and Bobby Fisher.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Minute Waltz"
A version of Chopin's "Minute Waltz" with lyrics, Streisand fires off lyrics at a breakneck pace before slowing down.  Also, it's two minutes, which is kind of bullshit.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "Where Am I Going?"
This is a show tune from the Broadway musical Sweet Charity, and Babs really belts it out.