For aficionados, 鈥淭he Best of Bubl茅鈥� is a gift 鈥� a celebration of the Canadian singer's best work, with a couple previously unreleased songs thrown in.
Bubl茅 rose to fame in the early '00s for his capacity to take staple songs from the worlds of jazz, blues and and make them his own, through his angelic and controlled vocal tone. He was quickly celebrated, too, for his original hits, many of which are present on this album: 鈥淗ome,鈥� 鈥淗aven鈥檛 Met You Yet鈥� and 鈥淓verything."
But this greatest hits collection does more than rehash the past. 鈥淭he Best of Bubl茅鈥� welcomes in the new through two unreleased songs, illustrating his range and elastic approach to genre.
鈥淒on鈥檛 Blame It On Me鈥� brings out the cheery side of Bubl茅. Beneath his voice are lively horns that fill a room, handclaps and acoustic guitars, a dance that makes it absolutely impossible to hear without smiling.
While 鈥淨uiz谩s, Quiz谩s, Quiz谩s,鈥� a cover of a Cuban classic written by Osvaldo Farr茅s and made famous by Bobby Cap贸, allows Bubl茅 to show off in Spanish.
Those songs placed next to his best-known material makes 鈥淭he Best of Bubl茅鈥� the perfect present for his diehard followers, and an accelerated crash course for any newcomers wanting to familiarize themselves with his particular talents.
鈥淭he Best of Bubl茅鈥� is a beautiful and nostalgic journey, one best consumed while sipping a dirty martini in an art nouveau bar, channeling a past time. His bossa nova takes the listener on a journey.
The only thing missing for this release 鈥� the only thing that could make it a truly in-depth visitation of his career 鈥� would be the inclusion of some of his Christmas songs. After all, he鈥檚 鈥� a role second only to But holiday feelings aside, 鈥淭he Best of Bubl茅鈥� is one to place under the tree, a delightful catalogue representing a modern classic voice.
Martina Inchingolo, The Associated Press
