MANILA, Philippines—It took another standards-and-jazz album—Michael Bublé’s “Crazy Love”—to dislodge Barbra Streisand’s “Love Is The Answer” from the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart.

A single spin of Bublé’s bravura rendition of the title track, “Crazy Love,” will make you understand why the adult-contemporary genre has been giving rock, pop and hip-hop acts a run for their money at the charts lately:

Tweaks and twists

No amount of technical craftsmanship can match the exhilarating power of lovely and masterful singing—especially Bublé’s. With judicious vocal tweaks and twists, the debonair crooner breathes new life into well-loved or little-known standards.

Veering further away from the hyped-up grooves and infectiously frothy beats of 2003’s “Sway” or 2005’s “Save The Last Dance For Me,” Bublé’s latest album chooses a bluesy folk sound that’s more Big Band (“All of Me,” “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You”) than ballroom.

The sumptuous, harmony-fueled baritone-and-bass singing and counterpointing of the a cappella group, Naturally 7, in Bublé’s dreamy cover of Nat “King” Cole’s “Stardust” doesn’t take the spotlight away from the quality of the singer’s exquisitely sparkling pipes. Another impressive cut is the bonus track, “Whatever It Takes,” in which Bublé’s rich baritone complements Ron Sexsmith’s higher, lighter voice.

Michael’s songwriting skills are showcased in the breezy carrier single, “Haven’t Met You Yet,” and the radio-friendly “Hold On,” which obviously takes its inspiration from the melodic pattern of the singer’s lovely No. 1 single, “Home.”

Other kickass cuts in the repertoire include the brassy upbeat number, “All I Do Is Dream of You,” and the sexy, swinging cover of the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight.”