Higher (Michael Bublé album)

Higher is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Michael Bublé, released on March 25, 2022, by Reprise Records.[1] The album won Best Traditional Pop Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.[2] Higher includes arrangements of Paul McCartney's ballad "My Valentine", produced by McCartney himself, and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me" as well as a collaboration with Willie Nelson on a cover of Nelson's "Crazy".[3]

Higher
A black-and-white image of man wearing a suit while walking on a desert road. The album title is above the man, while the artist's logo is behind him on the road, colored in black and gold respectively.
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 25, 2022
Genre
Length49:55
LabelReprise
Producer
Michael Bublé chronology
Love
(2018)
Higher
(2022)
Singles from Higher
  1. "I'll Never Not Love You"
    Released: January 28, 2022
  2. "Higher"
    Released: March 10, 2022

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Digital Journal     [5]

Matt Collar from AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying: "His relaxed, kitten-soft voice is a perfect match for the nuanced and sophisticated style of these songs."[4] Markos Papadatos from Digital Journal gave the album five out of five stars, calling it "one of the most captivating albums of his career."[5] Mike Wass from Variety wrote that Bublé "gets to show the full breadth of his talent, while staying true to idols, influences, and, most importantly, himself."[6]

Track listing

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Higher - Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I'll Never Not Love You"Greg Wells3:38
2."My Valentine"Paul McCartneyMcCartney3:28
3."A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square"Wells3:05
4."Make You Feel My Love"Bob DylanBob Rock3:17
5."Baby I'll Wait"
Wells2:23
6."Higher"
Wells3:05
7."Crazy" (with Willie Nelson)NelsonRock4:54
8."Bring It On Home to Me"Sam CookeRock4:35
9."Don't Get Around Much Anymore"Jason "Spicy G" Goldman3:23
10."Mother"
Wells3:57
11."Don't Take Your Love from Me"Henry NemoWells3:56
12."You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Wells3:45
13."Smile"Alan Chang3:47
Total length:47:13
Higher – European bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Pennies from Heaven"Arthur Johnston, Johnny BurkeJason "Spicy G" Goldman2:42
Total length:49:55

Commercial performance

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Higher debuted at number one on UK Albums Chart, becoming Bublé's fifth album to reach the top spot in the country.[7] In Australia, Higher debuted at number two on ARIA Top Albums Chart, becoming his ninth album to reach the second spot.[8][9] The album also proved to be a success around the world, reaching number one in Scotland and top 10 peaks in New Zealand (No. 2),[10] Ireland (No. 4),[11] the Flanders region of Belgium (No. 8)[12] and Switzerland (No. 9).[13]

Charts

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Chart performance for Higher
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 16
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[18] 3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 11
French Albums (SNEP)[20] 113
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 7
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[22] 1
Irish Albums (OCC)[23] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[24] 43
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 2
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[26] 12
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[27] 3
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[29] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 1
US Billboard 200[32] 12

References

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  1. ^ Eames, Tom (February 2, 2022). "Michael Bublé announces new album 'Higher' featuring Barry White and Paul McCartney covers". Smooth Radio.
  2. ^ "Grammys 2023: Winners List". The New York Times. February 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (March 16, 2022). "Michael Bublé Always Finds a Way". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Collar, Matt. "Higher – Michael Bublé | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Papadatos, Markos (March 29, 2022). "Review: Michael Bublé takes listeners on a fantastic musical journey with his 'Higher' album". Digital Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Wass, Mike (March 25, 2022). "With a Little Help from His Friend Paul McCartney, Michael Bublé Found Himself in the Album He Always Wanted to Make". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. ^ Brandle, Lars (April 4, 2022). "Michael Bublé Beats Machine Gun Kelly to U.K. Chart Crown". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  8. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Brandle, Lars (April 1, 2022). "Machine Gun Kelly Shoots Down Australia's Chart With 'Mainstream Sellout'". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Michael Buble - Higher". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Michael Bublé - Higher, retrieved April 4, 2022
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Michael Bublé – Higher" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Bublé – Higher" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Bublé – Higher" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "Michael Buble Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Bublé – Higher" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Bublé – Higher" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  22. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2022. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  24. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  25. ^ "Charts.nz – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  26. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  27. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Albums: Week 13 (2022)". El portal de Música (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Bublé – Higher". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  32. ^ "Michael Buble Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2022.