Released: March 25
Canada’s premier romantic Michael Bublé takes his penchant for loved-up anthems to soaring new heights as he returns with his latest album ‘Higher’.
Featuring 12 tracks, including a selection of standout originals and elevated cover versions, the singing sensation enlists a big-name ensemble of producers – including Greg Wells, Bob Rock and Sir Paul McCartney – for his 11th studio album and first long player in four years.
“This time out, I opened myself up completely to trying new things,” he explains. “I dug deeper while working and surrounding myself with the greatest music makers on the planet with gigantic imaginations.
“I have never been more excited after completing an album,” admits the crooner, whose passion is evident from the opening lines of first track and lead single I’ll Never Not Love You.
It’s a particularly poignant moment for the crooner and complete with a heartfelt dedication to his wife Luisana Lopilato, who appears in the track’s accompanying visual, which pays tribute to some of cinema’s most romantic moments from across the decades.
It’s one of three originals co-written by Bublé on the album and further proof of the superstar singer’s songwriting abilities, which all too often fall to the wayside and are overlooked in favour of his crooning cover versions.
Given the quality of the originals on ‘Higher’, it’s near impossible not to crave more from the record, of which the majority of the songs are reinterpretations of standards and modern classics, hand-picked by the singer himself.
Although there are no real curveballs, the range of cover versions makes for an enjoyable and varied listen, with Bublé’s interpretations and vocals sounding both fresh and inspired across the set.
Early in the running, he teams up with Willie Nelson on a magical rendition of his song Crazy, while The Beatles legend McCartney steps behind the desk to perfect a new take on one of his lesser-known compositions, My Valentine, lifted from his 2012 LP ‘Kisses on the Bottom’.
It’s quite the talent to be able to take songs that have been around for decades – many of which have lived several lives already – and pull them off with such ease. But each time he sets foot in the studio, Bublé crafts his recordings with flair and nuance and a signature stamp that, for two decades now, has proven irresistible.
Beyond his dashing looks and enchanting demeanour, Bublé’s voice pulls you in and brings to life a time gone by, like a comforting reassurance that, in spite of everything going on in the world outside, for just a brief moment things are OK.
It’s best encompassed by album closer Smile, a soaring take on Charlie Chaplin’s classic recording, which is elevated to new levels thanks to a dramatic instrumentation and stellar vocal accompaniment from a gospel choir.
Not only a fitting end to the LP, the track is synonymous with the formula integral to Bublé’s success: take a song that everyone knows and elevate it to new heights.
Twenty years into his recording career, that recipe is still a hit for the singer and who can blame him for indulging his love of the standards and delivering fans what they crave – a slick, sophisticated slice of pop-swing nostalgia.
But next time around, we’d love for him to tap into that songwriting bug just a little more and serve an album packed with killer originals – raising the bar higher than ever before!
‘Higher’ is available on CD and vinyl (including limited and signed variants).
