A few tracks into this highly anticipated Barbra Streisand release and the title starts to make sense. Guilty Pleasures is a 'Streisandian' spin on a melange of popular styles, including '50s doo-wop ("Come Tomorrow"), Motown ("It's Up to You"), disco ("Night of My Life"), Broadway ("Without Your Love"), and something vaguely waltz-like ("Stranger in a Strange Land"). If that sounds gimmicky and contrived, it isn't. The musical influences are more under Streisand's spell rather than the other way around. Then there's that voice: fire-and-brimstone bold one minute, cashmere soft the next, and fully undiminished overall. Much has been made of the politics surrounding "All the Children," but the protest-song-for-Muzak reputation preceding it comes without justification. The song makes its point (for peace) mildly and without undue controversy. The voice of Barry Gibb crops up more than just on the two duets he is credited with ("Above the Law" and "Come Tomorrow"), and where it is not being showcased, on "(Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away" for example, it sounds best. Of course the other inspiration behind this album's title is a nod to Guilty, the multiplatinum album Streisand and Gibb recorded in 1980 that captured the hearts of millions and spawned decades of requests for further collaborations. With Guilty Pleasures, Streisand has managed to avoid charges that she's past her peak, as evidenced on the gorgeous love song "Letting Go." --Tammy La Gorce

Recommended Barbra Streisand Discography

Guilty (DualDisc)

Duets

The Essential Barbra Streisand