A Gift of Love

Bette Midler

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A Gift of Love Review

by James Christopher Monger

2008's Rhino-issued Jackpot: The Best Bette was the Grammy-winning vocalist and Emmy-winning actress' first career-spanning compilation since 1993, and it served as an excellent window into her often eclectic career, touching on nearly all of her stylistic forays. 2015's Gift of Love is a more myopic take on the greatest-hits package, offering up an amorous 18-track set devoted entirely to Midler's love for balladry. As the humble love song has served as the legendary diva's bread and butter since the '70s, it should hardly come as a surprise that Gift of Love is well stocked with hits. Any proper Midler collection would be incomplete without the holy trinity of last-call karaoke balladry that is "The Rose," "Wind Beneath My Wings," and "From a Distance," and Gift of Love doesn't disappoint, delivering those modern standards early on in the proceedings. It also serves up some less ubiquitous gems, like her spirited 1983 cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "My Favorite Waste of Time" and her sultry, jazzy rendering of the Marvelettes' Smoky Robinson-penned "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." For the most part, Gift of Love sticks with the benchmarks, with the aforementioned triple threat, "Every Road Leads Back to You" (from For the Boys), and 1995's "It's Too Late" and "As Dreams Go By," the latter two of which appeared on the platinum-selling Bette of Roses leading the charge. Fans looking for a more diversified retrospective should probably check out Jackpot (also a Rhino release), but as the perfect soundtrack for a campy romantic evening or a boozy post-breakup meltdown, one would be hard-pressed to find anything better.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Favorite Waste of Time Marshall Crenshaw	Bette Midler	02:46	Amazon
2	In This Life Mike Reid / Allen Shamblin	Bette Midler	04:12	Amazon
3	The Gift of Love Susanna Hoffs / Tom Kelly / Billy Steinberg	Bette Midler	04:07	Amazon
4	Bed of Roses Bonnie Hayes	Bette Midler	04:12	Amazon
5	From a Distance Julie Gold	Bette Midler	04:38	Amazon
6	Wind Beneath My Wings Larry Henley / Jeff Silbar	Bette Midler	04:54	Amazon
7	Come Rain or Come Shine Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer	Bette Midler	03:15	Amazon
8	The Rose Amanda McBroom	Bette Midler	03:34	Amazon
9	As Dreams Go By Andy Hill / Peter Sinfield	Bette Midler	05:10	Amazon
10	It's Too Late Bonnie Hayes / Bob Thiele Jr. / Tonio K.	Bette Midler	04:42	Amazon
11	All I Need to Know Barry Mann / Tom Snow / Cynthia Weil	Bette Midler	04:08	Amazon
12	Every Road Leads Back to You Diane Warren	Bette Midler	03:49	Amazon
13	Shining Star Leo Graham Jr. / Paul Richmond	Bette Midler	04:48	Amazon
14	To Deserve You Maria McKee	Bette Midler	05:15	Amazon
15	Night and Day Billie Hughes / Roxanne Seeman	Bette Midler	05:31	Amazon
16	(Talk to Me Of) Mendocino Kate McGarrigle	Bette Midler	03:00	Amazon
17	The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game Smokey Robinson	Bette Midler	03:36	Amazon
18	Let Me Just Follow Behind Moogy Klingman	Bette Midler	03:40	Amazon