Pop standards & more from Anka & Bublé

I like it that Michael Bublé has chosen to stick to his tested formula. Just as it was in his first CD, he mixed standards, pop classics and new compositions in his latest album, To Be Loved. I also like it that the line-up is a varied lot and that he goes from Rat Pack cool to Motown soul to pop rock and does even bits of Latin and doo-wop. The result is remarkably engaging and puts forth what I see as the real Michael Bublé  sound. He has found his own, is sticking to it and I like it very much.

It was not so long ago when producer David Foster launched to stardom, a chubby 20-something from Canada who could sing the oldies as though he was born 50 years ago. He sang The Way You Look Tonight and sent the world swooning. Ten years and seven albums later, his romance with his public is hotter than ever. His last release, Christmas, was the biggest seller of two years ago, second only to Adele’s 19. 

To Be Loved is proving to be no different. The album debuted at the top of the charts last April, a rare feat considering all those rockers and hip-hop CDs also making their bid for buyers and he continues to sell big. Why not, the guy is selling love and sounds so happy doing it. Other music we get these days may be fierce or edgy but when it comes to loving, we still want something sweet and fun and romantic. Bublé’s every note is all those and sexy, too.

To Be Loved has the swinging standards. You Make Me Feel So Young; Come Dance With Me which comes with a cute Latin touch; an enchanting Nevertheless (I’m In Love With You) with the Puppini Sisters; and one of the most typically Frank Sinatra songs of all time, Young At Heart.

There are the pop classics. To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees; Smokey Robinson’s Who’s Lovin’ You; a duet with actress Reese Witherspoon of Sinatra’s Something Stupid; Elvis Presley’s Have I Told You Lately That I Love You in an acoustic mood with Naturally 7; Jackie Wilson’s To Be Loved, which was composed by Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.; and Randy Newman’s You’ve Got A Friend In Me from the movie Toy Story.

It is heartwarming to find out that Bublé’s co-written originals could stand alongside the oldies. One of the best cuts and my favorite is the idyllic Close Your Eyes. There are also the inspirational I Got It Easy; After All, a collab with rock star Bryan Adams; and the first single release, the jaunty and invigorating It’s A Beautiful Day.

 To Be Loved may be formulaic but Bublé’s approach to the classics is impeccable, his vocals expressive and his songwriting skills at par with the best. What more could you ask for?

For more of songs that are according to singer/songwriter Paul Anka, “easy on your ears and of the stuff that love and life is all about,” then there is his Duets album. This features the Canadian pop idol in duets with a very diverse assortment of guests. Would you believe Michael Jackson and Chris Botti or Leon Russell and Celine Dion? Holding the line-up together are the vocals with Anka and the fact that they are, save for two cuts, singing his famous compositions. 

Anka is incredibly prolific as a songwriter and that means over 50 years of hits, from Diana when he was only 14 years old to The Longest Day, My Way and This Is It and many more. There are 12 of them in the CD. For some unknown reason, country legend Willie Nelson sings his own standard Crazy, which sounds great while Bublé, whom Anka helped launch to stardom with his Put Your Head On My Shoulder, does the standard Pennies from Heaven with him.

 Then there are This Is It which Anka wrote for Jackson before the King of Pop suddenly passed away; Do I Love You (Yes In Every Way) with Dolly Parton; I Think I’m In Love Again with Gloria Estefan; You Are My Destiny with Patti Labelle; Les Filles De Paris with Chris Botti; It’s Hard To Say Goodbye with Celine Dion; She’s A Lady with Tom Jones, Hold Me Till The Morning Comes with Peter Cetera, among others.

Then maybe because it is a truly beautiful song or maybe because it is so popular and filled with memories. Also maybe it is because Sinatra and Anka really sound great together and that it was arranged by Foster. But the cut that comes off best is the always ubiquitous My Way.  What a way to end this collection.