from WALLS
Written by Carole Bayer Sager, Jonas Myrin & Jay Landers
Barbra Streisand’s 36th studio album, Walls, saw the light of day in November 2018. It was another hit for the legendary songbird, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 and #6 on the UK albums charts. Walls presented mostly original tunes co-written by killer tunesmiths like Carole Bayer Sager, John Shanks, Walter Afanasieff, Desmond Child and Steve Dorff. The production was mainly handled by Afanasieff with selected tracks crafted by Child, Shanks and David Foster, who came out of his hiatus to work on the new song “Better Angels.”
Written by Bayer Sager with Streisand collaborator Jay Landers and Jonas Myrin, an up’n’coming music-maker from Sweden, “Better Angels” was one of those orchestral gems that seemed tailor-made for the superstar’s sublime vocals. Foster arranged the tune with co-writer Myrin and the great William Ross. Their collective brilliant work was coupled with the usual top-notch production from Foster that resulted in the perfect tool for Streisand’s breathtaking voice.
Walls offers many other points of interest; from the thought-provoking title-track to the modern sounds of the single, “Don’t Lie To Me.” The smooth rendition of the Burt Bacharach’s classic, “What The World Needs Now,” with creamy guest vocals by Michael McDonald and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds must be experienced.
Asked about this new collaboration with Streisand, The Hitman had these words:
“I’ve loved working with Barbra since playing piano sessions for her in the 70s. She is totally unique and one of the greatest singers ever to grace this planet. My turning point with Barbra was when I was asked to produce her song “Somewhere.” She wanted it to sound like it wasn’t created on earth so I used all synthesizers to achieve that special atmosphere that eventually won me a Grammy. Since then we have done many songs together and I loved getting to work with her again on Walls. “Better Angels” is a beautiful song and she still sounds amazing plus she totally trusts me so it is a complete joy to be in the studio with her these days.”
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Barbra-Streisand-Better-Angels-Official-Audio.mp3|titles=Better Angels|artists=Barbra Streisand]- Lead Vocals: Barbra Streisand
- Acoustic Guitar: Tariqh Akoni
- Chorus Master: Tim Davis
- Arranged by David Foster & William Ross
- Produced by David Foster
- Associate Producer/Co-Arranger: Jonas Myrin
Lyrics
Angry words and bitterness
‘Cause love to fade away
What happened to the dreams
And hopes that we shared yesterday?
Mystic chords of memory that stir within in our soul
Lead us to forgiveness so that we can be made whole
We are not enemies, there is no good in that
There are better angels that surround us all
And we will find a way through all our differences
Hear the better angels, listen to their call
Hatred only breeds more hate and darkness in our heart
May we find compassion in a world so torn apart
A symphony of what could be
Says this where we start
We are not enemies, there is no good in that
There are better angels that surround us all
And we will find a way through all our differences
Hear the better angels, listen to their call
Let the better angels be our guide
Yes there are better angels walk beside
Can you catch us all?
’Cause we just about to fall
Rise up and find better angels in us all
Yes rise up it’s time, oh it’s time
We are not enemies, there is no good in that
There are better angels that surround us all
And we will find a way through all our differences
Hear the better angels, listen to their call