Oh No It's Michael Bublé

Introduction and Background

You may think this is because I don’t appreciate Michael Bublé but you would be wrong. Last week I was in the Talbot Arms in Settle and they were playing a Michael Bublé Christmas album and every song sounded like it had had all the life sucked out of it by a lounge jazz vampire, and that lounge jazz vampire’s name is Michael Bublé.

Songs like “Jingle Bells”, “Jingle Bell Rock”(that may have been someone else but it was awful), “Santa Clause Is Comin’ To Town” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" should be full of life and joie de vivre but these were so bland that they had almost turned into ghosts like all their life colour had been drained.

So I thought I would turn this into a playlist of good Michael Bublé and how those songs he, in my opinion, destroyed, should sound.

So this is going to be a partial Christmas playlist, but we open with what is, in my opinion, Michael Bublé’s finest moment, the vicious intro to “Cry Me A River”

Michael Bublé - Cry Me A River

The intro to this is absolutely stunning and elements of it are used to construct the arrangement of the song. This must surely be one of his finest moments, and I can listen to this on repeat. It is almost worthy of a James Bond Theme and he is well capable of doing one of those.

Michael Bublé - Feeling Good

I was shocked to find that this was a song written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd". Newley's version is also very good although I find him a very mannered person.

There have been many great versions of this song by such artists as Nina Simone and Muse and many more but Mr Bublé more than holds his own with his version.

Right I have shown you what I think of Michael Bublé and you can check out that awful album below, but I won't share anything from it here but you might want to either buy the album or find it on YouTube to check how awful it really is.

How Christmas songs should sound

The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman from Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You"

Michael Bublé covers this on his Christmas album, this is what it should sound like.

Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

The Boss Shows Michael Bublé How to sing a Christmas song, I do love this.

Darlene Love - White Christmas from Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift For You"

Although I have no time or respect for Phil Spector, his Christmas Album is damned near perfect and love every song on the album. This is how to do "White Christmas" Michael Bublé.

Sinéad O'Connor - Silent Night as featured in Malcolm Mclaren's "Ghosts of Oxford Street"

This is just purely beautiful although the next song on the playlist is a beautiful but upbeat instrumental take on the song.

Can - Silent Night

The groundbreaking Krautrockers actually produce a beautiful yet upbeat take on this hymn with lots of rhythmic sound making me think of Christmas tree decorations.

U2 - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

Yeah I know it's U2 but this version does have power and life and is an absolutely excellent take on the song.

Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas

I'll finish with one of my all-time favourites with that riff lifted from Prokofiev's "Troika" from "Lieutenant Kijé". This isn't on Michael Bublé 's Christmas Album, but is a great song to close this list.