The sound of Michael Bublé live

It will be Michael Bublé’s third time, if he comes to do a show here again. And he should. I do not think anybody, and that includes me, would mind watching Bublé perform here again. In fact, I am sure a lot of people would be very excited to watch the Canadian heartthrob once more sing his hits live.

This is because Bublé is not only nice and attractive. He also has this unique quality of being able to completely please his audience. It is said of performers who excel in live performances that it is because they truly love what they do. The audience senses this and empathizes with the genuine feelings. As a result, they both enjoy the show.

I thought of this when I came across Bublé’s latest, Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden. If I am not mistaken, this must be his third live recording that comes in two discs, a CD and DVD. Released earlier were Come Fly With Me in 2004 and Caught In The Act in 2007. Both were enjoyable efforts that showed fans how a guy as young as he was, only mid-twenties at the time, has so imbibed the Rat Pack swagger that he was considered the new millennium’s chief exponent of jazzy, swing tunes.

So what does he need another live CD and DVD release for? Maybe to fill in the gaps between studio recordings. I think his last was In Time, two years ago. There must be another one in the making that the producers and Bublé are taking longer to finish than initially expected. So, they say to us, here is one more live album. This after all, is the way you keep an artist a hot commodity. You release new products at a consistent pace.

Or maybe this CD is meant to announce to the world how successful Bublé was at the Madison Square Garden in New York. The place is considered a sort of mecca for performers. An artist is considered really made if he or she can proudly say, “I filled up the Garden.” And that was just what Bublé did in December 2008.

I have to admit that despite those two earlier albums, there is still excitement to be found in hearing and watching Bublé in a live recording. The intro to the first number booms strong and loud and fills the listener with anticipation. And it segues to the Leonard Cohen classic, I’m Your Man. This is a well-chosen opener that introduces a matured, and sexy Bublé who now knows how to work the crowd.

And that is how he is through the CD, a confident performer who is able to improve on materials he has sung many times before, through sheer exuberance because he is before a live audience. Me And Mrs. Jones, Call Me Irresponsible, I’ve Got The World On A String, a particularly poignant Lost, a strong Feeling Good, plus crowd-pleasers Home, Everything, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Song For You.

The CD is shorter than his early ones but he is so good at what he does that it only whets the listener’s appetite for more of Bublé. Now that is more than enough reason to get your own copy. But there is more. The DVD is a delight and proves that Bublé is indeed a charmer. It contains the hour-long concert plus two bonus songs, a show-stopping Stardust with Naturally 7 and You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. There is also a documentary that shows Bublé with his family, goofing off with the band and some biographical info.

Come Fly With Me with its Rat Pack mood remains my favorite among Bublé’s live recordings. But although it is too short and has no new songs, I see the Garden as a true landmark because it shows how much this guy has developed as a performer. Had I been there I would have given him a standing ovation.

Still, releasing three live albums in less than 10 years is too much for any artist. I hope we get a new studio CD soon or maybe if Bublé is indeed too busy to attend to this, he can just add some songs to Let It Snow, his Christmas album. This is a great one but pitifully brief.