Mentored by Paul Anka (whose 1950s hit "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is covered in dreamy, cabaret fashion here), Bublé sings in the orbits of Darin and Sinatra, covering swing epoch gems ("Come Fly with Me", "The Way You Look Tonight", "That's All") and rock-era standards (Van Morrison's "Moondance", "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the Brothers Gibb, Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love") with equal aplomb. David Foster's production is typically slick and played to the back row of the bleachers, but it's informed by smart contexts provided by such arrangers as Johnny Mandel, Randy Waldman and Mike Melvoin. If the choices of material are sometimes staid and predictable, they also give the singer a crucial framework for building toward something more challenging; his is a bright future. --Jerry McCulley
Excellent cover versions, 2010-04-05
I think it's fair to say that cover versions are often quite disappointing imitations of the original, but there are several tracks on here that I think are as good as, if not better than, the original versions. My particular favourites are The Way You Look Tonight (beautifully smooth orchestration, which goes perfectly with Michael Buble's velvety style - he sounds like melted chocolate singing this!), Moondance (I've seen Van Morrison do this live and I was a bit nervous about hearing Michael Buble's version but was unexpectedly delighted to find that I actually prefer the Buble version and can't resist singing along whenever I listen to it), Sway (a perfect song for his voice, superb) and Fever (this was the track on the album I was most sceptical about but I think his version is an incredible success, and it still amazes me every time I listen to it.) All in all, an excellent album from a man with an outstanding talent. 5 stars!