Walls is the thirty-sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand, released on November 2, 2018, by Columbia Records. The lead single "Don't Lie to Me" was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid the presidency of Donald Trump, 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.
Critical reception
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.
Walls was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Year-end lists Publication Accolade 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. 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. In Australia Walls debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Track listing Adapted from Playbill.
Personnel Adapted from AllMusic.
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 performance for Walls Chart (2018) Peak position
Certifications
References
External links Barbra Archives: Walls (2018)