To Be Loved

Background

To Be Loved was commissioned by Michael's record label after the success of his fifth studio album, and seasonal record, Christmas, which became the second biggest selling album of 2011, selling more than seven million copies worldwide. The album was entirely produced by Bob Rock, and was recorded in Vancouver, Canada and Los Angeles. The album includes ten standards, and four original songs all co-written by Bublé, three with longtime collaborators Bob Rock, Alan Chang and Amy Foster-Gillies. "After All", one of the four original tracks, was written by Bryan Adams, Alan Chang, Steven Sater and Jim Vallance, and co-performed with Bryan Adams. The album also features appearances from actress Reese Witherspoon on "Somethin' Stupid", Naturally 7 and The Puppini Sisters, and includes covers of songs such as the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody", Dean Martin's "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)", the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You", Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved", and Scotty Wiseman's "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?"

In an interview posted on his official website, Bublé stated: "My new record is about love, happiness, fun and yummy things. Getting to work with my friend and longtime collaborator Bob Rock, who was also responsible for "Call Me Irresponsible", "Crazy Love" and "Christmas", and produced the entire album, was very exciting. We’re a good team. I love the songs we selected this time out. It was also terrific working once again with my songwriting partners". Bublé is scheduled to perform ten dates at London’s O2 Arena from June 30, 2013 in promotion of the album.

Singles

Commercial performance

To Be Loved debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 197,000 copies in the first week in the United States. As of September 20, 2016, the album has sold 881,000 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, To Be Loved had sold 631,224 copies as of December 2013, thus becoming the third best-selling album of the year. As of October 2016, the album had sold 784,420 copies in the UK. In Canada it sold 139,000 copies in 2013.

Critical reception

To Be Loved received mostly positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic's Matt Collar found that the album "isn't just a perfect showcase for Bublé's voice, it's also one of his most diverse and enjoyable albums." At The Canberra Times, James Baldwin told that Bublé "has a lot to deliver to keep both fans and critics impressed", which he noted that "Michael's voice seems to be getting better and better with each release", and called the release "perfect." Colin Stutz of Idolator said that "his performance is ever strong and mature" because "Buble uses that power to carry the album poignantly, be it songs he wrote or those by others." At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff stated that this effort is "indeed a buoyant affair, marked by love songs sung in his distinctive manner, something altogether different from the classical bombast of a Josh Groban or the crooner stylings of Bublé’s big band-fronting forebears." The Scotsman alluded to how "Buble’s slick vocals cannot be faulted throughout". Elysa Gardner of USA Today evoked how "Bublé sounds like a man in love on this new collection of pop and soul standards and original tunes", and that allows "his clear, limpid voice is as technically supple as ever, and there's more genuine verve (and grit) in his delivery."

Peter Goddard of the Toronto Star wrote that the album is "Sure not about making any musical breakthrough[s]". AW for the Shields Gazette called the " music formulated for minimal offence, watered down with minimal risk, and, as such, failing to provoke any form of emotion", which is the "embodiment of the colour beige; painfully safe, somewhat dull and seemingly dreamt up as an ideal kitchen decoration." At The Vancouver Sun, Francois Marchand called the album "exactly what it should be: A middle-of-the-road jazz-pop crooner record that sparkles in your ears like a million little fizzy sugar-pop bubbles and is just cookie-cutter enough to please the masses." Virgin Media's Matthew Horton told that "the majority of To Be Loved boils down to straight retreads of admittedly great songs", and "that's just the way it goes. You don't come to Bublé for post-dubstep glitch experiments. You come for the polar opposite, delivered with style."

Tour

The To Be Loved Tour began on June 30, 2013 in London.

Set list