Fans of Michael Buble were in for a treat this morning when his eighth studio album, To Be Loved, started streaming online. We had huge hopes when it came to this CD, considering its his first real adult contemporary record in almost four years. Buble has consistently stated that this is his best one...ever. Would it actually live up to the hype? Would To Be Loved be worth the wait? When we finally pressed play this morning to listen to our most anticipated album of 2013, we realized that we need to always trust in the Buble. He has never and will never fail us.
Where do we start? Buble is fantastic, beautiful, lovely, amazing, sensational, and every other word to describe a flawless artist who never disappoints. The great thing about Buble, and one of the many reasons he's such a superstar, is that he learned how to perfectly mesh old jazz standards and pop originals into something that's still relevant in today's music industry...which is pretty freakin' hard when rap, r&b, and dance tunes are dominating the charts. Maybe that's what makes Buble one-of-a-kind though?
This album features all the great ballads we've come to expect out of the Canadian crooner like Frank Sinatra's "Young at Heart" and "Come Dance With Me", Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved" and his original "Close Your Eyes". These types of songs are synonymous with Buble. Sure they show off his smooth vocals, but there's nothing out of the normal here. Besides "Close Your Eyes", which we'll get to later, these songs could be interchangeable with the majority of tunes he's sung in the past. Of course, he still sounds fantastic on the numbers but we wanted more.
Thankfully, the rest of the album delivered everything we could have hoped for. To Be Loved starts off with his cover of Sinatra's "You Make Me Feel So Young". While this is your standard Buble song, it doesn't sound like something we've heard from him before. Buble is able to put a fresh, new spin on the song while still giving us that vibe we constantly crave from him.
To Be Loved showcases a few collaborations like "Have I Told You Lately" with Naturally 7 and "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" with the Puppini Sisters. Our favorite though is by far "Something Stupid" with Reese Witherspoon. This was probably the most awaited song on the album. Witherspoon is primarily known for her acting although she did win an Academy Award for her role as singer June Carter Cash in the 2005 film Walk the Line. We were a little iffy and a whole lot of curious when we first heard they were going to be singing the Frank and Nancy Sinatra number on the new album. This turned out to be everything we never knew we wanted. Their voices blend perfectly together on this sweet diddy.
Another pleasant surprise on the album came with Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me", which is commonly referred to as the Toy Story song. What a great song choice. Even though it doesn't scream Buble, he made it work. This is what being an artist is all about, taking chances that will challenge yourself in the process. No one ever grows from being safe. Four for you Buble. This risk paid off.
That wasn't the only risk he took on To Be Loved. Buble brought soul to this record in the form of "Who's Loving You" and "To Love Somebody". These are two of our favorite numbers on the record. In the past, his records have mostly been jazz and blues influenced. Here he delved into a whole new genre, even touching upon Motown. We truly hope he continues to go down this path with his future albums.
It wouldn't be a Buble album though if he didn't have some original songs on the album. Lucky us, we get FOUR from him. Two are ballads and two are upbeat pop numbers. By now everyone has heard "It's a Beautiful Day", since it was his first single. We love it as much now as we did when it came out in February. It's the kind of song you want to blast in your car, as you curse the day your ex ever broke your heart. If you're not in the mood to hate love, another fun song to jam out to is "After All", featuring Bryan Adams. David Foster even co-wrote this number (which is our favorite off the album). It's a song about reconnecting with a former love and being hopeful about how the relationship will turn out this time around. It's got a great beat, showcasing both Buble and Adams' voices.
As for the ballads, "Close Your Eyes" reminds us so much of his past hit "Lost". From the melody to the lyrics, it's all very reminiscent of one another. That's why we're sure that this could be another huge success for him. The last new song is "I Got It Easy". While it's our least favorite of the originals, we love the lyrics. It was clearly written with his wife Luisana Lopilato in mind. Songs like these show just how much he's grown as a person over the years and how happy he is with his life right now. Many say pain and despair is the key to musical inspiration, but Buble proves otherwise.
Final thoughts: this album was well worth the wait. If you're debating whether or not you want to buy a copy, DO IT. Buble delivers on what we know and love from him, but still shakes things up to keep us wanting more. Can this man do any wrong? Another incredible album from the flawless Mr. Michael Buble.
Review by Stephanie Coffey
