A soundtrack of sorts to the Emmy Award-winning television special of the same name, the Grammy Award-winning MY NAME IS BARBRA became another Gold-selling smash for the then-unstoppable phenomenon known as Barbra Streisand. This album hit #2 on Billboard's Hot 200 and it contains all of the new songs featured in the show, as well as some new recordings to replace the songs that had already appeared on her pervious records. A semi-concept record; the first portion is devoted to songs about the child in all of us ("I'm Five," "Sweet Zoo"), next some songs about the transition from child to adult ("Jenny Rebecca," "Where Is The Wonder"), and finally, songs from an adult perspective ("I Can See It," "Why Did I Choose You?"). Throughout the course of this cycle, Barbra gives beautiful renditions of "My Pa" (which is the song "My Love" from The Yearling with different lyrics), as well as the definitive versions of "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "My Man." A fantastic complement to a spectacular show.

Here is the reason why Barbra Streisand is a great singer and compleat artist of the first magnitude. Streisand shows off her understanding of singing and acting at the same time. Singing funny childish songs like 'A Kid Again/I'm Five' or dramtic tributes to parenthood like 'My Pa', Streisand captivates the listener with her vocal characterization of her childish ideals. At the same time, Streisand shows off brilliant singing of great classics like 'Where Is The Wonder', 'I Can See It (from the Fantasticks)' and a great treatment of the Gershwin song, Someone To Watch Over Me. She tells the world that she is the greatest star that they have ever seen in this early CD.

I really adore all of Barbra's work in the 60's and "My Name Is Barbra" is a standout. This is more or less a soundtrack to Barbra's phenomenal first television special in 1965 and ranks among her best work. After singing on Broadway in "Funny Girl" every night, Barbra's tonsils were in great shape and she was doing some of her finest work. The version of "Why Did I Choose You" on this CD is an extended version which did not appear on the LP. "My Man" brings the album to a dramatic conclusion and is one of Barbra's all-time greates performances. As always, Peter Matz's arrangemnets are flawless. The new remastered CD sounds great.

Displaying that ingenuity for finding insanely perfect material for her exploding talent, Barbra nails down this album but good. Full of surprising material that sounds instantly classic in her rangy, pure, strident soprano, this album stands the test of time. Jenny Rebecca is pure joy; My Pa and Kid Again are exuberant and moving girl-growing-up songs; I Can See It, the classic Fantasticks song, here sounds like it is trumpeting Streisand's career with unbridled enthusiasm. For a visual interpretation of this material, check out the TV special by the same name -- you will be blown away by the creativity and sheer bravura skill of this young powerhouse.

Barbra's 1965 TV show of the same name made waves by scoring multiple Emmys that year, including one for Babs. The TV special was still filmed in B&W, but was revolutionary in its concept and approach. A newcomer to television, Barbra instantly made a name for herself in front of millions of tube watchers.

This album has sometimes been overshadowed by the TV special, which may seem odd, considering most of the songs were sung on the show. Barbra reenters the recording studio and really waxes one classic after another. By this time, she was starting to shed some of her kooky image from the early Sixties, though she still retained her individual and unique appeal to her ever-growing legions of fans.

One look at some of the selections will tell you that Babs was branching out for mainstream acceptance, most noticeably in her first recording of a Gershwin tune "Someone To Watch Over Me". This tune had been done to death by hundreds of singers, everyone from Sinatra to Ella to Johnny Mathis, but Streisand's version really sticks out. Her vocal range really stretches the limits of this song and makes it heard in a new light that the likes of Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald had bypassed.

But the one true standout of this overlooked album is the torch song "Why Did I Choose You". Even my male friends who hear this song (and these are not "wussies" either) often ask, "Who sang that song?" Then when I tell them who it is, the first word they say is "Wow". Listening to this song today after hundreds of listens still brings a lump to my throat. This song and "He Touched Me" from the follow-up "My Name Is Barbra 2" are both bookend "Streisand Classics".

Just a pure voice soaring and gliding, singing about the virtues of her man and "Why she chose him". Unlike today, the Streisand of the Sixties did not hype up the sentiment factor in her interpretations, but here she brings just enough pathos and emotion to hit a homerun. Dare I say the hardest of hearts will not be moved when they hear this song ?