Bublé's Crazy Love a bit too crazy
Michael Bublé's fans have traditionally had to tolerate long waits for his CDs, but until now the waits have been worth it. His fourth studio album, and the first in more than two years, Crazy Love finds Bublé branching out into new styles and new artistic directions, often with mixed results. The high points are magnificent, but too often on Crazy Love his soft, tender singing voice and fondness for love ballads clashes with his desire to do something dramatic and unique. There are a few tunes on Crazy Love that bring to mind the best of Bublé's past work: He collaborates with a cappella group Naturally 7 for a touching rendition of the standard "Stardust," and with Sharon Jones for the spunky "Baby (You've Got What it Takes)." "All I Do Is Dream of You" is an exciting number with fantastic backing vocals, and "All of Me" is a classy jazz tune that gives Bublé a chance to let his golden voice take center stage.
Perhaps the most successful song on Crazy Love was written by Bublé himself, penned with help from Alan Chang and Amy S. Foster. "Haven't Met You Yet" is certainly a highly contemporary pop song, spunky and rhythmically charged. It is a long way from Bublé's customary repertoire of Sinatra standards and jazz numbers - but that doesn't stop it from being the best song on the whole album. It's catchy, clever, fun and, of course, wonderfully sung.
On the other hand, at least one song on the album is absolutely awful. The opener, "Cry Me a River," is a sentimental ballad of lost love that Bublé and his band play over a theme that would make Ian Fleming proud. While Bublé sings heartfelt lyrics like "Cry me a river / I cried a river over you," his orchestra contributes action-movie scoring, with the percussion imitating gun shots, electric guitars and violins evoking Bond themes and the brass generally sounding pompous and annoying.
What inspired this madness? Bublé sings as loudly as he can in order to be heard over the bombastic, ridiculous orchestra behind him, and the result is embarrassing to hear. This "Cry Me a River" should have been left in a creek, without a paddle.
Fortunately, nothing else on the album sinks to these depths, although "Georgia on my Mind" is rather disappointing, this time because both the musical arrangement and vocals are at odds with the song's style, and because it opens and closes with another nod to James Bond soundtracks. Is Bublé auditioning to sing in the next film?
A couple of other songs are disappointments, too. The title track, "Crazy Love," is sappy, dull and becomes grating as it winds on. Bublé's arrangement of "Heartache Tonight" sounds like the soundtracks to the old Pink Panther movies, which at least provides a welcome break from the Bond theme. "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" begins well enough, romantic and seductive, but then Bublé's full orchestra weighs in bombastically and ruins the moment.
Crazy Love is interesting because it shows Bublé experimenting with different musical styles, but it is for diehard fans only, mainly because not all these new directions lead to success. "Haven't Met You Yet" suggests he could have been a superstar as a pop singer or the leader of a boy band, and his performance in "Stardust" suggests the kind of intimacy and depth we associate with his rival, Harry Connick Jr.
On the other hand, "Crazy Love" is sappy and immature, and "Cry Me a River" is a total disaster. If we have to wait another two years for Bublé's next album, they will be two years filled with suspense: Will they reveal a mature singer-songwriter ready to use his glorious voice the right way, or a great set of vocal cords who prefers to sing with an irritatingly grandiose band?
Crazy Love's problem is that it features both personas. Will the real Michael Bublé please stand up?
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