CD Review: Michael Bublé, “Christmas”

Canadian crooner covers, revitalizes holiday classics

By Kayla Riley

Posted on Dec. 05, 2011, at 12:35 a.m.

With the rapidly approaching Christmas season comes Christmas music, and there are few voices better suited to holly jolly holiday notes than Michael Bublé, known for his swing-era expertise.

Bublé released his Christmas album just in time for Starbucks to change the color of their cups and proudly display the CD on their counters. While it was released a little early by most standards of holiday propriety, it has thus far been met with success and may match the ranks of She & Him’s well-received holiday effort by year’s end.

At first glance, the pop-heavy, sparingly jazzy “Michael Bublé Christmas” seems perfectly vanilla. Bublé has prominent pipes for certain, but beyond the classics, such as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” what does this laudable lounge singer have to offer hard-to-please Christmas music lovers?

In response to this, Bublé offers the unexpected “Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad,” accompanied by the lovely Thalia, a talented Mexican singer and actress. Despite being from Canada, Bublé sings along in stride with a strong Spanish accent and effortlessly enunciated lyrics.

If “Feliz Navidad” isn’t quite your flavor and you’re hungry for more, try a unique take of the well-known “White Christmas,” which Bublé tackles with the help of Shania Twain. She seems an unusual choice for a hip Christmas album, but her vocals add a fresh sound to the song we all know. While a bit squeaky at times, Twain does well to hold her own singing alongside the bodacious Bublé.

One of the strongest tracks on the album is the beloved “Silent Night,” with an intro that sounds like the opening tune to a classic Christmas film. Bublé is stripped down, accompanied only by light instrumentals. It’s easy to tell he poured his soul and talent into this song, though he hits the hardest and lowest of notes with relative ease.

Part of what makes “Silent Night” so lovely is the latter half of the track, in which a children’s chorus momentarily takes the focus from Bublé.

True Bublé aficionados were likely waiting for the day that he recorded his own rendition of the sultry and silly “Santa Baby.” He does so with aplomb, removing the sexual undertones of the song by referring to Santa as “dude,” and reminding Santa of the “hotties,” rather than “fellas,” whom he neglected to kiss. This is by far the funniest and most enjoyable track on the album, and serves as a zenith of Christmas cover songs.

Scads of artists have overhauled Christmas classics, but it takes talent to do it right. Simply covering a song isn’t enough; artists must add color to fan favorites and make them their own.

For the most part, Bublé does this well. “Cold December Night” is a fun, fresh track that adds interest to an album filled with all the songs you’d expect. “Ave Maria” is pretty but might have been best left to Josh Groban to re-imagine, as Bublé’s vocals aren’t as strong as the song demands.

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” on the other hand, seem almost made for Bublé and his lighthearted, jazzy style. Even the mildly melancholy “Blue Christmas,” as made famous by crooner Elvis Presley, is made anew by Bublé and sounds almost hopeful in a way it never did before.

Though some form of Christmas music is bound to pierce your ears against your will at malls, grocery stores and hair salons alike, there’s no reason to avoid the songs of the season. Artists like Bublé have opened an avenue for those who are wary of Christmas music. It doesn’t all have to sound like the kind of spirited muzak you’d find in an elevator ride to Hell.

For the annual trip to pick up your tree or on the way to work, the right Christmas music can ease even the most reluctant of celebrators into the holiday spirit. Bublé’s “Christmas” is just cheery enough and, despite a few follies, strikes the right note for this time of year.

Grade: B

This entry was posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011, 12:35 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.