It's no coincidence that Michael Bublé's new album starts with just his voice and some fingersnaps on "The Best Is Yet to Come," a song made famous by Frank Sinatra. The Canadian smoothie looks longingly towards early-'60s Vegas, an impression quickly reinforced when a boisterous horn section makes its grand entrance, about 20 seconds into the track. That Bublé means business is confirmed by the second cut, a fast-paced take on Henry Mancini's "It Had Better Be Tonight," and of course by the CD's very title, another song identified with Sinatra as his cockiest. There are just a few sidesteps from the retro formula that's served Bublé so well so far: a languid duet with Brazilian star Ivan Lins on the bossa "Wonderful Tonight," a gospel choir on "That's Life." Interestingly, Bublé co-wrote the best of those sidesteps, "Everything," a Norah Jones-esque number that alluringly harks back to sunny '70s pop. It's also the only song on the album produced by Bob Rock (best known for his work with Metallica), sending out a strong signal that Bublé should reach out to unlikely collaborators more often. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
UK enhanced two-track CD pressing of this single taken from the album Call Me Irresponsible. Like 'Home' and 'Everything', two of Michael's biggest hits to date, 'Lost' was self-penned and the emotive ballad confirms his growing talents as a finely accomplished songwriter in his own right. As with the majority of Call Me Irresponsible, 'Lost' was produced by Michael's mentor David Foster with Humberto Gatica. Features two versions of 'Lost': Main Version and Enhanced Video. Warner.
Part Two of Two. First single pulled from his highly anticipated 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible. 'Everything' is an original composition, composed by Michael, Alan Chang and Amy Foster-Gillies, the same team that wrote Michael's worldwide smash 'Home'. The track is produced by Bob Rock, who has produced some of the milestone Rock records for Metallica, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, LostProphets, Cher, David Lee Roth and a myriad of other artists. Features two versions of 'Everything' (Album Version and Alternate Mix) plus the non-album 'These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)'. Warner.
Michael Buble "Caught In The Act (CD + DVD)"
$18.75
In the opening track of this live CD, Michael Bublé explodes "I'm feeeling GOOD!" Who could blame him? He's backed by a big--make that a really big--band, and the song sounds like a million bucks. You may quibble that Bublé is a nice fellow who's a bit lacking in both the charisma and swing departments, but the music here percolates with bouncing energing--just listen to "Summer Wind" or "The More I See You" to see how glorious arrangements (by Johnny Mandel and John Clayton Jr., respectively) can propulse a reasonably gifted but by no means transcendent singer into the stratosphere. Best of all, Bublé once again shows his ability to seamlessly bridge eras and styles by offering stylistically consistent covers of the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" (done swing-style) and Lou Rawls' 1976 hit "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" (done crooner-style in a duet with Italian singer Laura Pausini). (The DVD offers up a similar take on Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," for instance.) The DVD portion of this combo set doubles the ante by offering 18 tracks (plus a bonus "Song for You" with Chris Botti) to the CD's 8. There's also a 20-minute backstage featurette showing what goes into the preparation for the show. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Written by Michael, `Home' is his most emotional performance yet, brimming with soul and passionate honesty. `Home' more than matches his contemporary interpretations of songs such as `Feeling Good', `How Sweet It Is' and `I've Got You Under My Skin' which make up the many highlights of `It's Time'. The album, which was produced by David Foster and Humberto Gatica, is sure to develop into one of the biggest hits of 2005.
Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists. His sophomore studio follow-up largely turns on the same formula that helped make his considerable vocal prowess so attractive to mainstream audiences, mixing the nigh flawless, if expected Sinatra-channeling ("I've Got You Under My Skin") with more playful and inviting renditions of pop standards like the Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town," "Feeling Good," "Try A Little Tenderness" and Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin." But it's the eclectic mix of more contemporary material the singer seasons them with -- apt tribute to Bublé hero Bobby Darin -- that keeps him walking the narrow tightrope between artistic intrigue (a blues-tinged vamp of Holland-Dozier-Holland's "How Sweet It Is," Leon Russell's lovely "Song For You," with a guest turn by Chris Botti) and the kitsch-laden abyss ("Quando, Quando, Quando"'s Euro-centric duet with Nelly Furtado, a ring-a-ding-fling with the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" that echoes fellow Canadian crooner/rival Matt Dusk's more successful flirtation with Lennon-McCartney). Arranger/producer Tommy LiPuma offers Bublé a welcome swinging jazz showcase on "The More I See of You," a bracing respite from the rest of producer David Foster's slick, if typically bloodless MOR production. -- Jerry McCulley [Note: A special edition including two bonus tracks--"Dream a Little Dream" and "Mack the Knife"--is also available.]
Michael Bublé and More
Michael Bublé
Come Fly with Me
Totally Bublé
Come Fly with Me (DVD)
Two Shots
Peter Cincotti
Michael Bublé "Come Fly With Me (CD & DVD)"
$14.87
A year after his slickly produced recording debut launched him on a meteoric course to stardom, this combo CD/DVD set chronicles Michael Buble's crowd-pleasing live performances before amphitheater-sized crowds on a triumphant national tour. The audio portion kicks off with pair of new studio recordings again reinforce the 20-something Canadian heartthrob's 1950s-something artistic tack with mixed results: "Nice 'n' Easy" has a Sinatra-faithful jazzy swing; the overproduced, somnambulistic "Can't Help Falling in Love" evokes Perry Como more than Elvis. The remainder of the audio CD is comprised mostly of live versions of songs from Buble's debut, with his takes of "My Funny Valentine," "Fever," Van Morrison's "Moondance" and "Mack the Knife" again suggesting that Buble has an ear cocked wisely towards the Bobby Darin oeuvre. But with the notable exception of three elegant live-in-studio performances culled from Sessions@AOL, the live DVD does Buble's undeniabl! y charming stage presence a great disservice. Intercut awkwardly with offstage comments by Buble and his band, the balance of that disc suffers from an MTV-inspired, cut/dissolve-every-three-seconds style that's intended to focus one's attention, but does exactly the opposite. If sudden stardom virtually guarantees that Buble's impossibly smooth, expressive voice seldom ventures very far outside the Sinatra/Darin mold here, hopefully he'll leverage that fame towards greater artistic challenges in the near future. --Jerry McCulley
Pop's rush to raid the cradle continues with this promising debut by 25-year-old Canadian singer Michael Bublé. And while the young vocal star's good looks are smart enough for a boy band, his muse seems to have sprung from a more sassy and compelling musical era. Mentored by Paul Anka (whose '50s hit "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is covered in dreamy, cabaret fashion here), Bublé sings in the orbits of Darin and Sinatra, covering swing epoch gems ("Come Fly with Me," "The Way You Look Tonight," "That's All") and rock era standards (Van Morrison's "Moondance," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the Brothers Gibb, Queen's "Crazy Little Ting Called Love") with equal aplomb. David Foster's production is typically slick and played to the back row of the bleachers, but it's informed by smart contexts provided by such arrangers as Johnny Mandel, Randy Waldman, and Mike Melvoin. If the choices of material are sometimes staid and predictable, they also give the singer a crucial framework for building toward something more challenging; his is a bright future. --Jerry McCulley
