Miami Herald
In Tune: Bette Midler’s A Gift of Love
BY GREGG SHAPIRO
February 29, 2016
Bette Midler, who turned 70 (!) last December, is a showbiz veteran and one of the LGBT community’s most beloved diva icons. From her early days singing to gay men in towels at New York’s Continental Baths – with her accompanist Barry Manilow – and her lengthy career in film (including an Oscar nomination for The Rose) to her legendary concert tours and Las Vegas residencies, the outspoken Midler is one of a kind. The romantically themed A Gift of Love (Rhino), her third domestic hits compilation, includes “The Rose,” “Wind Beneath My Wings” and “From A Distance.” Midler also dug deep to find the love in songs such as “Let Me Just Follow Behind” from Songs For The New Depression, “All I Need to Know” from No Frills, “To Deserve You” from Bette of Roses and “(Talk to Me of) Mendocino” from It’s the Girls. A Gift of Love is a musical valentine from Midler to her fans.
