''It's the Girls!'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
. It was released by
Warner Bros. Records on November 4, 2014. Midler's first release with the label since ''
Bette'' (2000), the album is a collection representing the music of the great
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
s of the past.
[Hampp, Andrew]
"Bette Midler Announces ''It's the Girls!'', Her First Album Since 2006"
Billboard.com, September 23, 2014.
The album sold 40,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States, thus allowing it to reach number three on the
''Billboard'' 200, her highest position on the chart. This made Midler only the second female singer after
Barbra Streisand to have top 10 albums in five consecutive decades. ''It's the Girls!'' also marked Midler's highest debut week sales ever, and her second-highest position in the US after the
''Beaches'' soundtrack, released in 1988.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Matt Collar found that the album "sounds like a retrospective, a return to the cabaret and theatrical style of her early career. Working with veteran producers Marc Shaiman and Scott Riesett, Midler frames her resonant vocal chops with lush arrangements that, while reverential to the original recordings, certainly allow her to express her own personality on each song
..These are brightly produced songs perfectly suited to Midler's vocal style, stage bravado, and cheeky sense of humor."
Amy Rose from ''
Rolling Stone'', wrote that "Midler has a voice that’s rich enough to reanimate any pop standard
..and the album’s spirit of femme camaraderie comes through in their powerhouse harmonies and jokey just-us-girls delivery."
Stephen Holden, writing for ''
The New York Times'', felt that ''It's the Girls!'' "was "one of her best
..That music, along with
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
, is in Ms. Midler and
roducer Mr. Shaiman’s bones, and their fit is as comfortable as ever
..Midler’s brash, mouthy vocal persona is still capable of sounding playfully transgressive, at least by ’60s standards."
Commercial performance
''It's the Girls!'' debuted at number three on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of release, ending November 9, 2014, according to
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
.
This made Midler only the second female singer after
Barbra Streisand to have top 10 albums in five consecutive decades.
The album also marked Midler's highest debut week sales ever, and her second-highest position in the US after the
''Beaches'' soundtrack, which came in at number two in 1988.
Track listing
All tracks prodced by
Marc Shaiman and Scott M. Riesett.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
''It's the Girls!''at Bette Midler's website
2014 albums
Bette Midler albums
Warner Records albums
Covers albums
Traditional pop albums
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