The king of modern easy-listening, vocal jazz, and traditional pop is back with a new gripping preview, released as a single, titled ‘First Listen’, that will certainly catch you off-guard on a “first listen”.

Michael Bublé has become quite synonymous with the vocal jazz genre. Throughout his career, he has explored the depths of the music genre that birthed so many that we now listen to on a daily basis. Traditional pop is a musical sound mostly considered dead by many. If it isn’t dead, Michael Bublé is one to thank for the genre still being alive to this day. Though he pays homage to the sounds of old, he always finds interesting ways to modernize the genre, both through production and compositional ideas. This is very much the case with ‘First Listen’, for multiple reasons.

‘First Listen’ might shock listeners who stumble upon the song without any context. While each moment of the two-minute track is lovely, it feels extremely jarring switching between many themes and styles. That’s because it’s meant to do just that; showcase the upcoming music to be featured on his untitled 2022 LP. However, despite the confusing nature of the song, each section is really good. Michael shows flavors of traditional vocal jazz, of course, but also showcases some other styles that seem almost foreign to the artist. Most notably, the second section is almost Mowtown-esque in its grooves, and adds a new, different retro spin to Michael’s repertoire. There’s also a hint of a feature, sandwiched with gorgeous jazz ballads and big-band bops.

‘First Listen’ is not meant to be enjoyed as a normal song is, but is quite literally a single to give context and hype to the legendary vocal jazz singer’s upcoming release. With a new chapter of Michael Bublé close at hand, releasing in the time of the year where people think of Bublé the most (thanks to his masterful Christmas album), the world is excitedly waiting in unison.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.