Though it's not a new sound, it still feels good. In fact, it's classic. The sound that Michael Bubl?(c) reaches for on his second album, "It's Time," is a combination of horns and stringed instruments that dominate the big band and swing moods of Bubl?(c)'s music.
That's right. Bubl?(c) is actually an old-fashioned lounge singer. Unlike novelty acts like Richard Cheese - a man who jokingly converts heavy metal and post-grunge standards into slow jazzy lounge songs - this guy is serious.
The man has put a ton of work into becoming recognized. He once appeared on the Today Show and sang a duet with host Katie Couric. Straining to create a niche in popular music, it would have been impossible for Bubl?(c) not to sell out to a certain extent.
Yet he compromises little with his craft.
Amidst some of the standards of the swing era such as Gershwin's "A Foggy Day (In London Town)," Bubl?(c) has spattered a couple of unique pop covers that make this album worth listening to, even if the person isn't necessarily a fan of his style of music. There is a version of the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" as well as Stevie Wonder's "You and I."
The classic standard, "Feeling Good," might interest younger listeners due to the bombastic cut made popular in England by the hard rock act Muse on their album "Origin of Symmetry."
But as hard as Muse rocked on that song, Michael Bubl?(c) gives it such a cool power that is reminiscent of the theme to a James Bond movie.
"It's Time" features an original Bubl?(c) tune that shows that while he may have the power to imitate the likes of Frank Sinatra or Bobby Darin, he does not have the same power to create. "Home" is a quite personal song, but musically, it sounds almost like a country song, serving as a giant gap in the middle of this work.
Michael Bubl?(c) is fighting an uphill battle trying to interest today's record buyers in a style that has been dead for over half a century. The problem is that all the young lovers of Sinatra's day are thinning in numbers.
If Brian Setzer can do it, maybe Bubl?(c) can too.
Release: February 8, 2005
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
