Type: Christmas, Lyrics are included with the album
Genre: Vocal Music
Review
Barbra Streisand makes a point of noting that she completed this, her second Christmas album, before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, even going so far as to list the recording dates (July 19-September 7, 2001). And listening to the disc, you can see why. If great artists sometimes demonstrate an uncanny ability to take the temperature of the times with their work, this one can be said to have anticipated the dramatic change in mood that the terrorist attacks occasioned. Christmas music always mixes the celebratory with the nostalgic, some of its classic songs dating from the World War II era when families were separated and feared they might not be reunited. But Streisand's Christmas Memories accentuates that tone well into melancholy. The 59-year-old singer has assembled a group of songs that look back on Christmases past from a mature perspective that very much takes loss into consideration, beginning with one of those war songs, "I'll Be Home for Christmas." On two occasions, she has prompted lyricists to rewrite their songs, having Dean Pitchford alter the words to "Closer," a new song submitted to her, to reflect the death of her friend Stephan Weiss (husband of fashion designer Donna Karan) and even getting the amazingly pliable Stephen Sondheim to revise "I Remember" from his 1966 TV musical Evening Primrose. As remade, "I Remember" remains an extremely sad song, however. When she isn't mourning, Streisand is trying for grand statements such as the politically oriented "Grown-Up Christmas List" and the ecumenical "One God," songs in keeping with Christmas's sentimentality that seem perfectly chosen for the inevitably sober-tinged holiday season of 2001. In coming years, Christmas Memories may come to seem like a remarkably dour holiday collection, but for the year of its release, it could hardly be improved upon. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Bob Esty (Choir Conductor), Peter Erskine (Drums), Koji Egawa (Assistant Engineer), Jorge Calandrelli (Conductor), Koji Egawa (Engineer), Gabrielle Raumberger (Art Direction), Randy Waldman (Keyboards), Sue Ann Carwell (Vocals (Background)), Barbra Streisand (Vocal Harmony), Vinnie Colaiuta (Drums), William Ross (Arranger), Stewart Whitmore (Mixing Assistant), Justin Smith (Engineer), Matt Della Polla (Synthesizer Programming), Ian Logan (Photography), Bruce Dukov (Concert Master), Patrick Weber (Engineer), Marsha Burns (Project Coordinator), Felipe Elgueta (Engineer), John Chiodini (Guitar), Renata Buser (Assistant), Lisa Crockatt (Prop Stylist), William Ross (Producer), Chad M. Goodson (Design), Barbra Streisand (Vocals), Jay Landers (Liner Notes), Dave Carpenter (Bass), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), David Foster (Producer), Wendi Wagner (Vocals (Background)), Mark Eshelman (Assistant Engineer), Patrick Weber (Assistant Engineer), Dave Reitzas (Engineer), Peter Fletcher (Product Manager), Peter Doell (Assistant Engineer), Barbra Streisand (Executive Producer), Nick Marshall (Assistant Engineer), Dave Reitzas (Mixing), Bill Schnee (Mixing), Alan Stein (Project Coordinator), Gayle Levant (Harp), Jason Lloyd (Engineer), Bill Smith (Engineer), Don Costa (Arranger), Jay Landers (Executive Producer), Nathaniel Kunkel (Engineer), Chris Brooke (Assistant Engineer), Michael Landau (Guitar), Felipe Elgueta (Mixing), Matthew Della Pola (Synthesizer Programming), Chris Boardman (Arranger), Tom Ranier (Keyboards), Eddie Karam (Arranger), Sue McLean (Engineer), Dean Parks (Guitar), Firooz Zahedi (Photography), Robbie Buchanan (Producer), Peter Doell (Engineer), Felipe Elgueta (Synthesizer Programming), Barbra Streisand (Producer), Neil Stubenhaus (Bass (Electric)), William Ross (Orchestral Arrangements), Kim Skalecki (Assistant), Gary Grant (Horn), George Doering (Guitar), Michael Hart Thompson (Guitar), Alex Rodriguez (Assistant Engineer), Humberto Gatica (Engineer), Datz Pyle, Debbi (Orchestra Contractor), Justin Smith (Assistant Engineer), Scott Erickson (Engineer), Chris Brooke (Engineer), Barbra Streisand (Liner Notes), John "J.R." Robinson (Drums), Sue McLean (Assistant Engineer), David Foster (Keyboards), Chuck Domanico (Bass), Jay Landers (Producer), Bill Smith (Assistant Engineer), Ralph Morrison (Concert Master), Jorge Calandrelli (Arranger), Mike Lang (Keyboards), Robbie Buchanan (Arranger), Shari Sutcliffe (Project Coordinator), Mark Eshelman (Engineer), David Foster (Rhythm Arrangements), Stewart Whitmore (Mastering), Bobbi Page (Choir Contractor), Jason Lloyd (Assistant Engineer), Bob Esty (Vocal Arrangement), Alex Rodriguez (Engineer), Al Schmitt (Engineer), Tim Davis (Choir, Chorus), Robbie Buchanan (Keyboards), William Ross (Conductor)
Christmas Memories is the second Christmas album and 57th album by singer Barbra Streisand, released in 2001. The album reached Number 15 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and has been certified as Platinum, her 28th platinum disk in America. Sales have now reached 1 million copies in The USA.
