Valerie Chua
The 20 tracks featured in the album were specially selected to cater to the mass. Anyone can find a track to listen in this album, whether or not you’ve experienced love as it features the full spectrum of love like first love, loss of love, unrequited love and twisted love.
UrbanWire picks its top 5 tracks of the album.
“Fixing a Broken Heart” is one of the 20 duets featured in this love compilation of the century. This song dates back to 1993 from Relativity, an album by Indecent Obsession. There are 2 versions of this song, one featuring Japanese singer Mari Hamada, and another by the band that was produced in the same year. Maybe because of Hamada’s Japanese accent, the song sounds weird when her voice first appears. However, it was made up for by their 2 voices, that complemented each other so euphoniously and made this one of the must-listen in the album.
Another gem of the album, “Don’t Know Much” featured the versatile Linda Ronstadt and the soulful Aaron Neville. Even though it was first released in 1980 in Barry Mann’s Casablanca, he co-wrote the song with Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow, it successfully gained recognition in 1989, when Ronstadt and Neville performed it. The song won the 1990 Grammy’s for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
“Tonight I Celebrate My Love” brought recognition to its 2 singers Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. The melodious melody, together with Bryson’s and Flack’s harmonious voices that synced so perfectly with each other makes this one of the greatest love songs of the century. It was released back in 1983 and was used as the theme song for popular soap opera, Days of our Lives.
A love ballad will definitely be heartfelt when an ex-couple decides to sing together. Patty Smyth and Don Henley’s “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” referred to the relationship between them and how they coped after the break-up and getting on with their lives. The ex-lovers broke up on amicable terms, as Smyth wrote this song to make sense of the splitting up. The sincerity of the number was well received by the public as the song spent 6 weeks in 2nd place on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another song that was composed by a real-life couple is “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1968. This song was recorded separately and combined during the production process, because Terrell had to spend a lot of time in the hospital due to her brain tumor that claimed her life eventually in 1970. The chemistry between the 2 could be felt throughout the song, with their intense and strong vocals and could be the reason why it stayed on the British singles chart for 19 weeks.
All in all, this is a great album if you’re looking for timeless classics. UrbanWire gives Duets: World’s Greatest Love Ballads 3/5 stars.
Title: Duets: World’s Greatest Love Ballads
Artist: Various Artists
Language: English
Record Label: Universal Music Pte Ltd
Track list:
- Cheek To Cheek – Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
- Mirame Bailar – Kenny G featuring Sumi Jo
- Aguas De Marco – Antonio Carlos Jobim & Elis Regina
- Better Than Anything – Natalie Cole & Diana Krall
- River – Madeleine Peyroux featuring K.D Lang.
- Anytime – Diane Schuur with Barry Manilow
- On & On – Claressa Monteiro with Stephen Bishop
- Your Song – Elton John & Alessandro Safina
- Where Do We Go From Here – Blake & Hayley Westenra
- The Alchemist – Russell Watson & Lara Fabian
- Best For Me – Tyler James ft. Amy Winehouse
- When You say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating featuring Paulina Rubio
- I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher
- You’re All I need To Get By – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- Two Sides To Every Story – Chris De Burgh & Shelly Nelson
- Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough – Patty Smyth & Don Henley
- We’ve Got Tonight – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
- Tonight, I Celebrate My Love For You – Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
- Don’t Know Much – Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
- Fixing A Broken Heart – Indecent Obsession & Mari Hamada