A year after Canadian heart-throb Michael Bublé made his debut, the CD/DVD set Come Fly with Me chronicles his crowd-pleasing performances on a triumphant tour. The audio portion kicks off with pair of new studio recordings that underline his 1950s-something leanings with mixed results: "Nice 'n' Easy" has a Sinatra-faithful jazzy swing; the overproduced, somnambulistic "Can't Help Falling in Love" evokes Perry Como more than Elvis. Most of the rest of the audio CD comprises live versions of songs from Bublé's debut, with his takes on "My Funny Valentine", "Fever", Van Morrison's "Moondance" and "Mack the Knife" again suggesting that Bublé has an ear cocked wisely towards Bobby Darin. With the notable exception of three elegant live-in-studio performances culled from Sessions@AOL, the live DVD does Bublé's undeniably charming stage presence a great disservice. Intercut awkwardly with offstage comments by Bublé and his band, the balance of that disc suffers from an MTV-inspired cut/dissolve-every-three-seconds style that's intended to focus one's attention, but does exactly the opposite. If sudden stardom virtually guarantees that Bublé's impossibly smooth, expressive voice seldom ventures very far outside the Sinatra/Darin mould here, it's to be hoped that he'll use that fame as a springboard to greater artistic challenges in the near future. --Jerry McCulley
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