A LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
Despite the rumour of retirement, multi-Grammy Award winner Michael Bublé soldiers on with his latest studio effort that celebrates all the lovey-dovey feelings
Has anyone even noticed that Michael Bublé has been gone for two years? Well, us neither (for some reason it feels like he’s always there forever blessing us with his rendition of great American songbook classics). But, yes, he did take a little hiatus following his oldest son’s illness. There was talk of him retiring, which has turned out to be simply talk because here he is with his 10th studio effort,
Love, a follow-up to 2016’s Nobody But Me. Helmed by legendary producer David Foster, the record follows in the same footsteps as Bublé’s previous releases. Fans of the Canadian chanteur know what to expect: a handful of beloved pop/jazz standards mingled with a few originals. The love-themed album fittingly opens with a straightforward cover of Victor Young and Edward Heyman’s When I Fall In Love.
This marks the second time he’s tackled the song (the first time was a collaboration with Boyz II Men on their 2009 cover album, which happens to also be called Love). While Bublé can definitely hold his own when it comes to singing, collabo-
rators do make a nice addition to what would otherwise have been a predictable affair. Enter esteemed jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant and singer Loren Allred, the two female forces who assist him on Edith Piaf’s La Vie En Rose and Kris Kristofferson’s 70s country ballad Help Me Make It Through The Night.
The album’s two originals take the shape of the soaring piano ballad Forever Now and the guitar-driven, pop-adjacent Love
You Anymore, co-written by singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. The latter sees Bublé at his hippest to date as he drops his g’s like nobody’s business (“Am I lyin’ to myself again/ When I say you’re not the best I’ve ever had?).
Elsewhere, there’s a sly rendition of
I Only Have Eyes For You, followed by a grandiose reinterpretation of My Funny
Valentine, and concluding with upbeat
closer I Get A Kick Out Of You.
The verdict: It’s hard to believe that there are still songs left for Michael Bublé to cover at this point. With that said, this is another classic Bublé record that should go down a treat with his fans. Listen to this: I Only Have Eyes For You, La Vie En Rose, Love You Anymore, Help Me Make It Through The Night.