In an era of rap, hip-hop and pop music, jazz is not the musical style commonly heard — especially on a college campus. However, a hidden gem in the collection of modern jazz artists is Canadian singer Michael Bublé. This handsome Matt Dillon/James Dean look-alike recently released a new, live album entitled Caught In the Act. At only 30 years of age, Michael Bublé has done remarkably well for himself in a very short amount of time.
At 17, Bublé won a Canadian Youth Talent Search, but the success from this experience did not carry him very far. Besides recording a couple independent albums as presents for his grandfather, Bublé's music career did not surpass a stint as Elvis in a road show and a role in a musical revue called Forever Swing.
Facing disappointments that would cause many to give up, Bublé's career finally broke through in 2000, upon introduction to multi-Grammy award winning producer and a Warner Brothers record executive David Foster.
Working with Foster, Bublé's self-titled debuted was released in 2003 and featured serveral famous melodies, including "Fever", "Moondance" and "The Way You Look Tonight".
Since 2003, Michael Bublé has experienced significant success in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, and moderate success here in the United States. Caught In the Act, released Nov. 22, is his fifth album; others include Let it Snow, Come Fly with Me and It's Time. Through all of his musical ventures, Michael has stayed true to his jazz roots.
Although Caught In the Act only contains eight songs, each represents his abilities and highlights his vocal talents nicely. From up beat, soulful numbers to famous covers like "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles, all of Bublé's songs carry a fresh and fun sound.
Michael Bublé's charm carries beyond his melodies. Notable on this live version is the singer's ability to captivate his audience. Listeners will get a sense of Bublé's personality from his tracks, preceded by Bublé's commentary and anecdotes he chooses to share with his audience.
Although not experiencing overwhelming acceptance by the mainstream music world, Bublé is gaining recognition slowly but surely. He caught the eye of the Starbucks enterprise, which has since endorsed his albums and even featured him in commercials singing his cover of the Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn swing song, "Come Fly With Me." For those who frequent the ESPN channel, his more recent "Feeling Good" is being used in their commercials for poker tournaments.
With time-proven favorites covered on all of his albums and an incredible voice to support them, Michael Bublé is an artist who has not reached the high point of his career. He will go on producing the great music heard on Caught in the Act and hopefully, with his new album release, will gain the accolades he deserves.
Grade: AB
