Lazy Afternoon

Lazy Afternoon received mixed reviews, failed to yield a hit single and was quickly overshadowed by A Star is Born. But on its own merits, this understated but intriguing work deserves attention. The dreamy mood pervading the album is sustained by Rupert Holmes’ elegantly-tailored production. Holmes — subsequently famous for “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”— contributes material as well, providing Barbra with such sophisticated pop fare as “Widescreen,” ”Letters That Cross in the Mail” and “My Father’s Song.” (He also shares co-writing credit with Streisand on the bittersweet “By the Way.”) The reverie-like title number and a subdued cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You and I” shimmer with soft emotion. Streisand shows flashes of her old Broadway pizzazz on a brassy remake of “Moanin’ Low” and a disco-fied version of the Four Tops’ “Shake Me, Wake Me.” Her nuanced, slightly downcast reading of “A Child is Born” (a song written for but not included in her film Up the Sandbox) may be her standout performance here. At its best, Lazy Afternoon captures Barbra at her most introspective, pondering life and love with a reflective air.