With the release of Michael Buble’s new record titled, “To Be Loved”, we see the new age crooner maturing in all areas of his craft. As the title of the record shows, Buble puts together a list of mostly feel good love songs, but in between those songs about love and happiness, we see some strong break up songs. One of the catchiest songs on the record would have to be “Beautiful Day”. In this song, we have upbeat instrumentals, accompanied with strong break up lyrics. It is the most positive sounding break up song in recent memory, and one of the stronger songs on the album.
Another facet of this album is how dance centric it is towards the middle of the album. With songs like “Come Dance With Me” and “Something Stupid”, we can hear a very interesting Latin dance vibe going on.
Yet, another strong facet of this record are the duets. Buble does four duets, including one with the “Natural Seven” and another with the Puppini sisters. But to me, the most interesting duets on the record were “Something Stupid” and “After All”. In “Something Stupid”, we hear a very romantic and intimate lounge song done between Buble and of all people, Reese Witherspoon, which works wonderfully. The second one, “After All” combines arguably two of the most famous and most talented Canadian performers of the modern era in Michael Buble and Bryan Adams in a song that will surely get everyone on their feet.
The final area of the album that just really stuck with me, was the cover song, which has become a signature in recent albums by the Canadian crooner(Buble). On this album, he covers the classic “Toy Story” theme made famous by Randy Newman, “You Got A Friend In Me”. With this brilliant cover, he nails it, bringing everything together on this solid record.
Grade: 4 Stars