It's Time

Michael Buble

Reprise, 2005

http://www.michaelbuble.com

REVIEW BY: Jeff Clutterbuck

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/17/2006

For a good while now, a friend of mine has been pushing me to give Michael Buble's album It's Time a listen. Usually, I get all sorts of recommendations from friends, which makes listening to all of them impossible. In this case, given her enthusiasm, It's Time found its way onto the iPod. What I ended up hearing was mostly good.

Obviously, Mr. Buble's biggest influences are crooners such as Sinatra and Bobby Darin. When he channels those artists, It's Time really takes off. I'm a fan of this sound -- the big band sound, that is, with horns everywhere and good orchestral arrangements. Buble, or rather David Foster, makes good on this promise enough times on the disc to make it a success.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Most appealing throughout the disc is Buble's silky smooth voice. This style of music is almost nonexistent in the current music scene, so to hear it coming from this young pup is a welcome surprise. While he may identify too closely with his heroes sometimes, his voice is unique enough to distance himself from his idols. For example, "I've Got You Under My Skin" is essentially the same version Sinatra sang, and there are times when you can hear Ol' Blue Eyes in there, but it's still mostly Buble.

It's Time consists almost exclusively of cover songs, but there a few that one wouldn't expect to find here. The Beatles classic "Can't Buy Me Love" is completely redone in a swing fashion, and that freshness makes the track truly enjoyable. Buble also delivers a heartfelt version of Stevie Wonder's "You And I," one of the seminal tracks from Talking Book. While listening, it was not difficult to picture Buble leaning against a piano on a black-lit stage, with just a solitary stage light illuminating him. This image permeates throughout the whole album, driving home a connection with Buble's predecessors.

Where the disc goes wrong is when Buble records straight pop ditties. Although Foster's production makes them sound great, they lack inspiration. "Home" is a song anyone could hav recorded, while "Quando, Quando, Quando," a duet with Nellly Furtado, just lacks a spark. It's a shame that Buble decided to play down to the level of today's pop instead of maintain his usual high standard.

More than anything else, Michael Buble shows here what tremendous talent he has. Just the fact It's Time has sold as well as it has in 2006 is a testament to that. This is an album that can cater to both the youth and the "youth deprived," as we call them in our house. That is certainly reason enough to give this disc a listen.

Rating: B+

User Rating: C


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© 2006 Jeff Clutterbuck and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Reprise, and is used for informational purposes only.