Everyone's favorite Canadian crooner is back again, finding his harmony while making his way through the American songbook (and looking oh-so dapper in a suit)! Since I received Michael Bublé's To Be Loved album from One 2 One Network, I have listened to it approximately three times already. There is a good mix of old and new, upbeat and slow. To Be Loved, out now, finds the Grammy winner covering songs by Frank Sinatra, the Bee Gees, Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, and more. In the mix of golden standards are four original songs co-written by Bublé, dipping into his personal life for inspiration. These are good times for the singer, who is about to become a first-time dad.
First let's start with the songs:
1. "You Make Me Feel So Young"
Who doesn't like Frank Sinatra? It definitely seems that Michael Bublé had a lot of fun singing this song. It sounds incredibly similar to the original Frank Sinatra hit. Unfortunately, since I spent a lot of time listening to Frank Sinatra in preparation for my wedding last year, I'm having a hard time really giving Bublé's version a chance. Sinatra seems to go from one note to the next seamlessly while Bublé holds notes fooooooooooorrrrrreeeeeevvvvvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrr. (Does that make sense?) It just doesn't work for me.
2. "It's A Beautiful Day"
haha. I love this song. It's a very happy, upbeat song. I don't really understand "I'm glad you're the one that got away" in the midst of "It's a beautiful day and I can't stop myself from smiling"; how depressing! Yay lyrical dissonance! I mean just check out those lyrics! Nevertheless, the song itself is pretty fun; it would probably be a great song to get your friends to listen to if they are going through a break up. ;)
Check out the music video here!
3. "To Love Somebody"
When I first heard this song, I immediately knew it was a re-recording of a song from the '60's, but I couldn't think of the artist. You should have seen my surprise when I realized it was the BeeGee's. I typically HATE the BeeGee's, but, luckily for Michael Bublé, I actually like this song. It really reminds me of Diana Ross, and, being as unfamiliar with music as I am, I thought she was the original recording artist. (*hides face in shame*) Did you know this song was originally written for Otis Redding? I can totally imagine him singing this song!
Anyway, Bublé does a pretty awesome job recording this song. It was something completely different for me to experience hearing from him. (Who is singing the back up in this song?) It holds pretty true to the original except that it's Michael Bublé and obviously more current sounding than the original. Kudos to him for taking a chance recording this song. :)
4. "Who's Lovin' You"
This is a pretty fun song too. It is definitely a crooner song. Honestly, I love the older, more mature sound coming from Bublé's re-recording than I do the younger sound from the Jackson 5, the original artist. The lyrics are pretty depressing, but it's still a good song. I could see my mom or grandparents liking the song, but that's pretty much true for any Michael Bublé song.
5. "Come Dance With Me"
"Come Dance With Me" is very much a song you would dance the salsa to. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Bublé singing this style of music. I think he is much better when he sticks to crooners. Once again though, I give him credit for attempting to branch out. Maybe someone out there will like it. :)
6. "Close Your Eyes"
Written by Bublé, this song is perfect for him! It is a beautiful song, and probably the main reason Bublé has a career, singing to his (mostly) female audience.
Close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
You’re never going to have to cry
Because you’re one of a kind
Yeah here’s to you
The one that always poses true
You always do what you got to do babe
Because you’re one of a kind
He even says: "I wrote Close Your Eyes about my wife and about the power of all the women in my life—my sisters, my mom, my grandma and all women in general. Let’s face it, where would we be without them?" Yeah, Michael Bublé, you're pretty awesome too.
But seriously, this is the song you choose as your wedding song, or a slow dance song at the prom. It's sweet, perhaps a little over the top, and completely what you would expect from Michael Bublé.
7. "To Be Loved"
Honestly, at this point in the cd it would be fun to have an upbeat song that wasn't necessarily about love (see Haven't Met You Yet). Bublé, however, must have disagreed with my feelings on this matter, because "To Be Loved" is definitely a love song in pretty much the same style as most of the other songs on this cd. It's slow and sounds a bit 50's-esque. I'm not entire sure I would have named an album after this, formerly Jackie Wilson single. Why not pick a title from a song you wrote? Either way, it is definitely not a favorite on this album.
8. "You've Got a Friend In Me"
Umm. . . WHAT?!?! Disney?!?! How about no?! This song was definitely a surprise, but Michael Bublé just doesn't compare to the original Disney recording. Sorry Bublé. Moving on.
9. "I Got It Easy"
Another slow song. The song sounds really depressing until you get to the chorus. Once again, I would probably be more interested in these slow songs if there had been a fast song somewhere in there. Bublé has definitely written better songs.
10. "Young At Heart"
Another Frank Sinatra crooner, at this point in the album, I'm wondering why Bublé didn't pair up with Disney to make a fairy tale album. Why not pick a fun song like "New York, New York"? If it had been placed well in the album, it would definitely be worth listening to. However, as it currently is I'll probably be frequently skipping this song too.
11. "After All"
Finally an upbeat song! Within the first 10 seconds, I have decided my ears are quite happy for a breath of fresh air. A happy song with happy lyrics. Plus, what an awesome pairing of Bublé with Bryan Adams!
12. "Something Stupid"
A compilation with Reese Witherspoon, "Something Stupid" kind of sounds like something stupid. I'm not quite certain that Reese Witherspoon can actually sing; maybe others will disagree with me. Go ahead and give it a listen. Let me know what you think. Of course, I'm a bit partial to the Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman version. Nicole Kidman has an amazing voice, and that is hard to compete with.
13. "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)"
Despite my feelings on "Something Stupid", I think it's amusing that Bublé would follow it up with "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)". Another very slow crooner, I'm not a huge fan.
14. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"
While I adore this song, Bublé has managed to change this song up a bit and give it more interest. I would have preferred if he had made more upbeat (Are you noticing a trend?), but rather this song sounds very 50's-esque with a hint of "Blue Christmas". If I wanted to listen to "Blue Christmas", I would have just listened to it.
Overall, while I am grateful to Michael Bublé and One 2 One Network for giving me the opportunity to review To Be Loved, I'm not too sure I would have bought it myself. Songs like "After All" and "It's a Beautiful Day" might be individual songs I would purchase using Amazon, but I just can't see myself desiring the whole album. The album was particularly slow with lots of love songs. However I do recommend a couple of Bublé's previous recordings: It's Time, Call Me Irresponsible, and Crazy Love.
If you give this album a listen, let me know in the comments what you think!
**I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.
**I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the album to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.
