Walls (Barbra Streisand album)
2018 studio album by Barbra Streisand
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Walls is the thirty-sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on November 2, 2018, by Columbia Records.[1] The lead single "Don't Lie to Me" was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid the presidency of Donald Trump,[2][3] while the title track alludes to Trump's frequent calls for a wall at the Mexico border. Receiving critical acclaim, the album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200.
- Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage (Culver City California)
- Blue Studio (Malibu, California)
- Capitol (Hollywood, California)
- Grandma's House (Malibu, California)
- Henson Recording (Los Angeles, California)
- Multiview Studios (Hollywood, California)
- Sound Design (Santo Barbara, California)
- Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
- The Gentlemen's Club Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
- WallyWorld Studio (Los Angeles, California)
| Walls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 2, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | November 2017–September 2018 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genre | Vocal pop | |||
| Length | 47:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Barbra Streisand chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Walls | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| The Independent | [7] |
| The Times | [8] |
Walls received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Walls has an average score of 84 based on 5 reviews.[4]
Walls was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Year-end lists
| Publication | Accolade | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling Stone | The 20 Best Pop Albums of 2018 | |
Commercial performance
Walls debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 but then dropped off the charts after a second week.[10] Walls opened at number six on the UK Albums Chart, selling 15,604 copies and giving Streisand her 36th top-75 album and 15th top-10 entry in the United Kingdom.[11] In Australia Walls debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What's on My Mind" |
| 5:16 | |
| 2. | "Don't Lie to Me" |
|
| 3:57 |
| 3. | "Imagine/What a Wonderful World" |
| 5:20 | |
| 4. | "Walls" |
|
| 3:54 |
| 5. | "Lady Liberty" | Desmond Child |
| 3:52 |
| 6. | "What the World Needs Now" |
| 4:36 | |
| 7. | "Better Angels" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 8. | "Love's Never Wrong" |
|
| 4:06 |
| 9. | "The Rain Will Fall" |
|
| 4:42 |
| 10. | "Take Care of This House" (from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) | Streisand | 4:10 | |
| 11. | "Happy Days Are Here Again" | Streisand | 3:53 | |
| Total length: | 47:09 | |||
Personnel
- Walter Afanasieff – arranger, keyboards, orchestral arrangements, producer, synthesizer
- Tariqh Akoni – acoustic guitar
- Leo Amuedo – acoustic guitar
- Annie Bosko – background vocals
- Adrian Bradford – engineer
- Jorge Calandrelli – orchestral arrangements
- David Campbell – string arrangements
- Mabvuto Carpenter – background vocals
- Desmond Child – keyboards, producer, programming
- Steve Churchyard – orchestration recording
- Tim Davis – choir director
- Nathan East – bass guitar
- Kenneth Edmonds – vocals
- David Foster – arranger, producer
- Ian Fraser – arranger
- Dmytro Gordon – engineer
- Tyler Gordon – engineer
- Mark Graham – music preparation
- Keith Gretlein – engineer, programming
- Missi Hale – background vocals
- Jeri Heiden – design
- Russell James – photography
- Jay Landers – executive producer, liner notes
- Whitney Martin – music contractor
- Michael McDonald – vocals
- Vlado Meller – mastering
- Shawn Murphy – orchestration recording
- Jonas Myrin – arranger, associate producer, background vocals
- Obie O'Brien – orchestration recording
- J.C. Monterrosa – orchestration recording
- Clay Perry – arranger, keyboards, programming
- Tim Pierce – electric guitar
- Tiffany Plamer – background vocals
- William Ross – adaptation, arranger, orchestral arrangements
- John Shanks – bass, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming, background vocals
- Blake Slatkin – keyboards, programming
- Barbra Streisand – arranger, art direction, executive producer, primary artist, producer
- Shari Sutcliffe – music contractor
- Mary Webster – score coordinator
- Kris Wilkinson – music contractor
- Lucy Woodward – background vocals
- Gina Zimmitti – music contractor
Charts
Walls became Streisand's first studio album not to reach the top ten since Emotion in 1984. As of January 2023, the album is Streisand's fifth studio album not to be certified Gold or Platinum by RIAA.
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 7 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 50 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 37 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] | 33 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[20] | 59 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 15 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[22] | 145 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 34 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] | 34 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[25] | 58 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] | 38 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[27] | 9 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[28] | 16 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] | 19 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[30] | 6 |
| US Billboard 200[10] | 12 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||