MICHAEL BUBLÉ
Years ago, my initial reaction to Bublé was, "Yeah, another pretty boy, Sinatra-wannabe, prepackaged to head straight to Vegas variety shows." Repeated listens and several recordings have redeemed the Canadian crooner to these ears. He is damn fun, tapping the classic jazz and big orchestra vibes with boyish charm. The swing and the pop standards, the jazz and American songbook, they are all properly channeled and brought into a contemporary fold. Bublé's voice delivers fresh hooks to the paths treaded by Sinatra, Tony Bennett and the like. Of course, he benefits from singing songs that are already beloved standards and classics, but his originals are also laden with a knack for wrapping his voice around a melody. Over the past decade, Bublé has expanded his oeuvre further, covering tunes from pop, rock and country, but always through the lens of orchestral arrangements, never stepping too far off the farm. His output includes the requisite holiday album and the latest release, To Be Loved, a varied undertaking with fine numbers intermingled with some inevitable mush. $56.50 - $101.50. Oct. 26, 8 p.m. Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 E. Trade St. 704-688-9000.