Emotional, passionate, entrancing and inspirational...what puny adjectives to describe Yentl! There is probably no other album in Barbra's entire collection as deeply connected to her artistic psyche -- and it is a miraculous achievement in storytelling, musical composition and singing. It all comes together in Yentl and the heart and soul of the entire endeavor is Barbra. She has never sounded better, making every song a direct expression of character and emotional context. The Bergman/Michel Legrand score also finds gentle humor and great drama in Yentl's plight -- pretending to be a boy to attend a Jewish yeshiva after her father's death and then finding herself in love with a classmate and coerced into marrying his beloved! The music carries the day, especially as Yentl sings them all from her uniquely personal point of view. "Where Is It Written?" begins the journey, and is later beautifully entwined with "A Piece of Sky" -- coming full circle from start to finish. Also interspersed are remnants of Yentl's other key song, "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" The comic, observation song, "No Wonder" is a wonderful depiction of the advantages of having a wife -- and sung in three variations. "Tomorrow Night" is nothing less than a four-minute aria, combining four major scenes, covering two days and all through Yentl's eyes! Ultimately, the Yentl experience is marvelous and this album is one of Barbra's greatest achievements of all time. Undiscovered gem: "Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way"
Where Is It Written
Papa Can You Hear Me
This Is One of Those Moments
No Wonder
The Way He Makes Me Feel
No Wonder (Part 2)
Tomorrow Night
Will Someone Ever Look at Me That Way?
No Matter What Happens
No Wonder (Reprise)
A Piece of Sky
The Way He Makes Me Feel (Studio Version)
No Matter What Happens (Studio Version)
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