Michael Bublé is one of the great artists in modern music and probably the last of his kind. The crooners like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bing Crosby were some of the biggest names in music during their time, and still have cultural recognition, respect and popularity today. However, one can not deny that this type of music has been largely left behind by audiences and the industry, and it seems the only person still making this genre of music is Bublé.
Bublé is most well-known for his Christmas album, which has so many popular covers that a majority of the album is still played during the holiday season to this day. This might be because Christmas is a nostalgic time for tradition and Bublé’s songs all feel like a blast from the past. The songs he sings are part of a Christmas tradition of easy listening stretching back to the birth of the radio. Bublé attempts to capture the same audience, and new fans, with the newest album. While the album is good, the circumstances of the Christmas season, that he is most well-known for, are not replicable in the rest of the year, and thus this album will most likely not receive the same musical hegemony.
The style of the music is distinct with several songs on the album take inspiration from Latin-American music, with a few examples being “Sway;” “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás;” and “Quando, Quando, Quando.” Most of the rest of the album takes inspiration from the crooners, being covers of songs, such as “L-O-V-E” originally by Nat King Cole, or Bublé’s original songs in this style with a modern twist, such as “Haven’t Met You Yet.” There is one addition that is so bizarre, it is a wonder it was included, but is one of the best of the album, but more on that later. Bublé’s album is excellent overall, but there are specific positives and negatives that should be noted.
To start with the bad, many of the songs in this album are covers, and some of the covers are noticeably worse than the original, most notably with “Bring It on Home to Me,” however, these are never bad, just lackluster. The track order of the album is solid with a strong start and a gradual overall improvement up until the penultimate song which is the best, or perhaps second best, track in the album, however, the last song is somewhat bland, failing to end the album with a bang. Despite these complaints any of these songs in a vacuum is good on its own merits, which is why the issues with them come down to unfavorable circumstances and comparisons.
The album is overall fantastic. First and foremost, Bublé’s vocals are not only exceptional, but unique and instantly recognizable. The instrumentation is unique and punchy relying heavily on brass instruments especially trumpets, in addition to instruments typical of all genres like piano and drums. The aforementioned bizarre inclusion is a cover of the Spider-Man theme song, which seems funny, and it is, but it is still genuinely one of the best tracks on the album, and my personal second favorite. It is clear Bublé is having a ton of fun really putting his heart into the song, even more so than usual. It would be an enormous missed opportunity if the cover was not included in a future Spider-Man project. Moving on, the standout track, and easily the best song in the album, and possibly even Bublé’s career, Higher, is bombastic and punchy, while simultaneously being suave and smooth. The instrumentation is bold and dramatic, and it perfectly matches the vocals. This is compounded by a sense of momentum that makes it the best track on the album by far. While Bublé is certainly good at softer easy-listening music, he has an equal if not greater talent for bold, grand music, which is made unequivocally clear in this song. Most of the other songs range from decent to great, and as a whole the album is fantastic.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Bublé brings a fresh, new feel to the songs we know and love
