Barbra Streisand Teases Rarities Album With Willie Nelson Duet ‘I’d Want It to Be You’
Barbra Streisand has unearthed a previously unreleased duet with Willie Nelson, “I’d Want It to Be You,” which will appear on her upcoming rarities album, Release Me 2, out August 6th via Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings.
Streisand and Nelson’s version of “I’d Want It to Be You” was meant to appear on Streisand’s 2014 album, Partners, a collection of duets with various male singers. The duet, however, didn’t make the final cut as the track was still a work-in-progress when it came time to release the album. Instead, a version of the song Streisand recorded with Blake Shelton was included on Partners.
Streisand and Nelson’s version of “I’d Want It to Be You” arrives with a music video that features an array of archival photos and film footage from both musicians’ illustrious careers. The song was produced by Walter Afanasieff and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.
Release Me 2 will feature 10 studio performances taken from throughout Streisand’s career (it’s a follow-up to her 2012 rarities collection, Release Me). Along with the Nelson duet, Release Me 2 will feature Streisand and Kermit the Frog singing “Rainbow Connection” (originally intended for her 1979 album Wet), a version of “If Only You Were Mine” with Barry Gibb (a possible bonus cut for 2005’s Guilty Pleasure), an interpretation of Carole King’s “You Light Up My Life” (recorded for 1974’s butterfly), and a version of Randy Newman’s “Living Without You” (one of four Newman songs originally recorded for 1971’s Stoney End).
Release Me 2 will be available digitally and on CD with a 32-page booklet featuring liner notes by Streisand and Jay Landers. A variety of collectible vinyl pressings will also be available.
“For me, the studio is a combination musical playground and laboratory… a private sanctuary, where the possibility of catching lightning in a bottle always exists,” Streisand writes in the liner notes. “Whenever that kind of magic happens, it’s extremely satisfying. Sometimes though, when the arrangement doesn’t quite gel or the song no longer fits the tone of the album it was meant for, the tapes go into the vault for safekeeping. Working on this second volume of Release Me has been a lovely walk down memory lane… a chance to revisit, and in some cases, add a finishing instrumental touch to songs that still resonate for me in meaningful ways.”
Release Me 2 Tracklist
1. “Be Aware”
2. “You Light Up My Life”
3. “I’d Want It to Be You” (duet with Willie Nelson)
4. “Sweet Forgiveness”
5. “Living Without You”
6. “One Day (A Prayer)”
7. “Rainbow Connection” (duet with Kermit the Frog)
8. “Right as the Rain”
9. “If Only You Were Mine” (with Barry Gibb)
10. “Once You’ve Been in Love”