By: Emily J Ramey

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Everything Michael Bublé touches turns to gold, or I guess I should say “platinum” since that seems to be where his new album Crazy Love is headed. His newest work is arguably Bublé’s best, beginning with his dramatically-orchestrated “Cry Me A River,” which boasts a flawless and powerful blend of minor tones, moody percussion, and Bublé’s characteristic vocal jazz that is nothing less than epic, followed by a version of “All of Me” that’s all the luxuriousness of Sinatra with a little of Bublé’s brassy new touches.

The title track is a warm and resonant cover of a Van Morrison song in which Bublé cools his vocals to a near whisper à la John Mayer at his best; “Haven’t Met You Yet” is the snazzy single from Crazy Love, a wonderfully poppy Michael Bublé original complete with summery piano accompaniment and irresistibly catchy lyrics like, “Oh you know it’ll all turn out/And you’ll make me work so we can work to work it out/And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get/Yeah, I just haven’t met you yet;” and “Hold On” might be the best track on Crazy Love, quiet and passionate and deeply sonorous.  “Heartache Tonight” is Bublé’s rich and brazen version of an Eagles song.  “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes),” on the other hand, is a different kind of jazz – the Dap-Kings brand of jazz – supplemented with an R&B beat and Sharon Jones herself.

Michael Bublé is becoming confident and bold, which is exactly what his career was lacking until now.  Bublé knows what he’s good at and can now apply his silvery, dulcet vocals to any genre, jazzing up any song.  Get ready, women of the world, I feel another arena tour coming on.

Emily J Ramey is a burgeoning young music writer, living and working in Nashville, TN. Her background includes journalism classes at New York University and a Music Business degree from Belmont University. Check out her blog at listenerextraordinaire.wordpress.com.