The recipe for success of renowned Canadian vocalist Michael Bublé
is simple. It consists of a charming, deep, relaxed, and smooth voice, songs
that are classics, a bit jazzy, but not excessively, and appeal to a wide
audience, the whole served by technical productions that are halfway between
tradition and modern sound.
اضافة اعلان
Last March, the celebrated crooner whose voice has
sometimes been compared to Frank Sinatra’s released Higher, his 11th studio
album. It immediately secured the top spot on the UK charts and ranked among
the top five in several other countries.
Music trends and styles come and go, but great
voices singing no-nonsense, soft songs that make you feel comfy and happy never
go out of fashion. This is how it has been since the beginning of recorded
music.
Bublé has adopted this smart approach since coming
in the limelight in 2005. Naturally, his God-given exceptional voice, his best
musical asset, has helped him a lot.
Like most of Bublé’s previous albums, the songs
consist of a mix of old and new song covers, and of a few originals too.
At least six of the 13 songs of the set are real
gems, amply justifying buying the album or adding it to your favorite or liked
selection on your audio streaming platform.
Bublé does justice to the song. His personal rendition is superb. The velvet-like tone of his voice is just the perfect tool for the composition.
My number one, and by far, is My Valentine, a song
written by former Beatle Paul McCartney that was first featured on an album he
released in 2012. It is a fine example of traditional jazzy classic, with a
particularly beautiful, smartly crafted melody.
Fine melodies have always been McCartney’s trademark
and most striking compositional trait. My Valentine is the kind that legendary
Nat King Cole, for example, would not have minded interpreting.
Bublé does justice to the song. His personal
rendition is superb. The velvet-like tone of his voice is just the perfect tool
for the composition. Interestingly, it is the great McCartney himself who
produced the recording of the song for Bublé on his new album – not a minor
thing.
Another song that shines is Willie Nelson’s
well-known masterpiece Crazy, a beautiful song that has been covered by
countless other singers before. Here, too, Bublé manages to bring a fresh, new
sound to this classic piece. The slow tempo, the intimate, warm, sonic
atmosphere make every word, syllable and note clear, and make one relax.
Crazy is the sort of sound you would like to listen
to late at night, just before going to bed. The instrumental arrangements are
kept minimal, contrary to other tracks on the album that have been treated in
the “big band” massive orchestration format. It is sung here in duet with the
composer himself, Willie Nelson, with his signature nasal but otherwise
wonderful voice. Bublé is now 46, whereas Nelson is 89.
Another great cover on the album is You’re the
First, the Last, My Everything. It is an R&B (rhythm and blues) piece by
Barry White, the man with the exceptional bass voice. In contrast with the
other easy listening pieces, this one is upbeat and energetic, and will help to
keep you well awake.
Bring it on Home to Me, one of Sam Cooke’s most
successful songs, is performed by Bublé very well, with the right spirit and
feeling, proper to the genre. It also comes from the R&B American
repertoire. The vocalist also does a good job with A Nightingale Sang in
Berkeley Square, a jazz classic, a romantic ballad penned by Eric Maschwitz and
Manning Sherwin in 1939. It is sung with the typical swinging beat and rhythm,
played over a moderate tempo. It allows Bublé to fully demonstrate his
impeccable phrasing of the music and the lyrics.
The last track on the album is Smile, another great
traditional song from yesteryears, from 1936, to be precise. The enchanting,
moving melody was composed by Charlie Chaplin for the soundtrack of his feature
movie Modern Times. Whereas Bublé deserves kudos for doing a good job with the
song, the instrumental arrangements are a bit heavy, with excessively loud
choir backing vocals that do not fit well here.
The album also includes two new, original compositions
by Bublé himself: I’ll Never Not Love You, and Higher. Perhaps they do pass the
test, but they do not measure up to the other tracks on the recording. Still,
you cannot blame the musician for including his personal works in his own
album.
With the album Higher Bublé proves that not only he
is here to stay, but that he keeps on going higher.
The writer is a computer engineer and a classically
trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles,
reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
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