Michael Bublé’s new album To Be Loved doesn’t hit stores until April 23, but you can listen to it for free (and legally) right now! We’ve taken a listen, and here’s what what we think.
The album is available to listen to right now on Yahoo.
“You Make Me Feel So Young” (0:00)
To Be Loved opens with the Jazz classic “You Make Me Feel So Young” popularized by Frank Sinatra. Bublé’s version doesn’t stray too far from the standard, but that’s not a bad thing. This is another good addition to Bublé’s catalogue of Jazz standards.
“It’s a Beautiful Day” (3:08)
“It’s a Beautiful Day” is Bublé’s first original song on the album, and it was released as a single on March 25. Fans who like Bublé because he’s the most popular artist in the Jazz/Pop standard genre will be a bit disappointed with this track. It’s overproduced, and he’s proved that he doesn’t need that (Christmas was his most successful album while also being his most raw). The rest of the world will enjoy the song because it’s very catchy and also reminiscent of another one of his big hits, “Haven’t Met You Yet.”
“To Love Somebody” (6:30)
The next track on the album is Bublé’s cover of the Bee Gees’ hit “To Love Somebody.” The track likely won’t be one of the most played from the album, but it’s a solid cover of the song.
“Who’s Lovin’ You” (9:47)
Bublé’s cover of the oft-recorded Motown soul song “Who’s Lovin’ You” is a treat. His vocals sound really good on this recording, and the song fits his voice very well.
“Something Stupid” (12:45)
The first duet on the album, “Something Stupid” is a collaboration that came about unusually. After hearing her sing in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, Bublé wanted to work with Reese Witherspoon because her voice “was so smooth and wonderful.” The duet really works well, and it’s one of the better tracks from the album.
“Come Dance with Me” (15:44)
Another great Jazz standard, “Come Dance with Me” is another Sinatra tune that surprisingly Bublé hasn’t covered yet. It’s a really good version of the song.
“Close Your Eyes” (18:33)
“Close Your Eyes” is Bublé’s second orignal song of the album, and it’s one of his better original ballads. Typically he goes for the upbeat, dance originals, but this is more raw and fits his voice really well (though again we’d like him to go less produced on these).
“After All” (23:02)
“After All” is another original, and this one is a duet with rock great Bryan Adams. Their voices blend really well together, and it’s clear that the choice in duet partners is one of the best strengths of the album. It’d be fun to see Bublé follow in Tony Bennett’s footsteps and have a duets-only album, or maybe more than that (we know that many artists have done this, but we just point out Bennett because they are similar artists and singing duets has been the focus of Bennett’s career as of late).
“Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” (26:41)
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Bublé duet with Naturally 7 – they have collaborated together before and opened for him on his Crazy Love tour. The way their voices blend is the perfect backup for Bublé’s smooth vocals.
“To Be Loved” (29:15)
The titular track of the album, “To Be Loved” is a really great original. It showcases Bublé’s voice as well as any track on the album, and the backup vocals fit really well.
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (32:58)
Ever since the album was announced, this is the track we’ve been looking forward to the most. Bublé’s rendition of the Randy Newman classic is a fresh spin that we’ll be playing over and over. The band is at its best on this track.
“Nevertheless (I’m in Love with You)” (36:25)
This is another second collaboration for Bublé. The Puppini Sisters sang with him on his 2011 album Christmas and also appeared with him on his 2011 NBC Christmas special. They continue to show in this track why the pairing works so well – they bring some of that old Jazz feel.
“I Got It Easy” (39:24)
“I Got It Easy” is, in our opinion, the best original on the album. From the raw, slow vocals to the great backup singing to the range Bublé shows, this song has everything Bublé has to offer.
“Young at Heart” (43:05)
To Be Loved closes out with “Young at Heart,” another Sinatra tune. This is not only a great closer to the album, but it just might be the best track of the album. Bublé seems to be his most comfortable here, and it’s one of the more replay-able tracks of the album.
Overall, To Be Loved is a solid Bublé album, but it perhaps doesn’t live up to the high standards he’s set for himself. His two prior albums are better: in Christmas he felt more comfortable, and the song selection in Crazy Love seemed to fit him better. That being said, it’s still a very good album that we’ll be replaying over and over.
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