Michael Buble's "Call Me Irresponsible" Set For May 1st Release
The Vancouver native, whose collective worldwide record sales are over 11 million units, is also scheduled to begin a global concert tour in Reno, Nevada on July 13th with stops including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Call Me Irresponsible highlights include Buble's energy infused interpretations on standards from a variety of eras including songs by such greats as Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, Cy Coleman, Gamble and Huff, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and others.
Produced by David Foster and Humberto Gattica, Irresponsible includes a touching Buble written ballad called "Lost," along with a rocking duet with Boys II Men of the old Mel Torme' hit "Coming Home Baby." Brazilian singer Ivan Lens also makes a guest appearance on the Clapton written "Wonderful Tonight". The pairing of these two voices from two totally different generations magnifies Buble's summation of this record-love is universal and ageless.
As for the album, Buble says, "It's all about love. We're either in love, dreaming about love recovering from it, wishing for it or reflecting on it. That's what this record is about."
Ask Michael Bublé how he felt going in to record his third studio album, Call Me Irresponsible, and this artist with 11 million albums sold and two Grammy nominations under his belt can sum it up in one word.
"Terrified," he says simply. Terrified?
"Completely, because I knew that it had to be better than the first two - that it had to show growth without alienating anyone, and that's a tough line. So I sat there from the very beginning and came up with the songs, put together the skeleton, and thought about what arrangers I would hire. I even ended up at the mastering session, which artists rarely attend. I wanted to be involved in every aspect because I wanted it to be conceptually beautiful."
Bublé has certainly achieved success on that front. As with his previous two 143/Reprise bestsellers, 2003's self-titled debut and 2005's multi-platinum follow-up It's Time, Call Me Irresponsible boasts more of Bublé's buoyant, modern interpretations of standards from a variety of eras, including songs by such greats as Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, Cy Coleman, Gamble and Huff, and others, as well as two self-penned originals, including the first single, the uplifting love song called "Everything."
But it's hardly business as usual for this Vancouver native. It never is for Bublé, whose irrepressible spirit, engaging humor, and confident charisma once led the New York Times to call him "an entertainer who is completely at home on the stage."
Then there's a swinging, hep-cat version of Mel Tormé's 1962 pop hit "Comin' Home Baby," featuring vocals from Philly soul faves Boys II Men; and a sentimental, self-penned ballad "Lost," co-written with Chang and Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden. "It's an anthem for star-crossed lovers," Bublé says. "Sometimes relationships don't work out because love isn't enough, but that doesn't mean you have to discard the person. There is a way to end a relationship and still be there when they need you. That's basically what it's about."
A languid, emotional rendition of Eric Clapton's ballad "Wonderful Tonight," on which Bublé duets with Brazilian singer-songwriter Ivan Lins, whose work has been covered by everyone from Sarah Vaughan to Ella Fitzgerald follows. "I've always been very sentimental about that song," Bublé says. "What is interesting about that track is here I am, a 31-year-old guy from Canada who's singing a song that means so much to me with a 61-year-old man from Brazil, who's singing in his own language but it means the exact same thing to both of us."
Other highlight's include two of Bublé's original songs, including the acoustic-guitar driven "Everything," co-written with Amy Foster-Gillies and Alan Chang (who also co-wrote Bublé's touching hit ballad "Home" off It's Time) and produced by fellow Canadian Bob Rock (Bon Jovi, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bryan Adams). "I wrote that song about the great happiness of real love, but at the same time I was making a statement about the world," Bublé says. "We're living in really crazy times, and I wanted to say that no matter what's happening, this person in my life is what really makes it worthwhile."
To help him capture the intensity in the songs' meanings, Bublé turned to his long-standing team of producers, which include 14-time Grammy winner David Foster (Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Josh Groban) and producer/engineer Humberto Gatica (Elton John, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson). "We definitely have a great working relationship where I think I interfere just enough," Bublé says with a laugh. "I mean, David is the greatest producer in the world. They're both so amazing, I couldn't do it without them."
Foster first discovered Bublé seven years ago when he caught the aspiring star performing at the wedding of former Canadian Prime Minster's daughter. The son of a British Columbia-based salmon and herring fisherman, Bublé spent the months his parents were away with his music-loving Italian grandfather, who introduced him to the singers who would become Bublé's idols: Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. "These guys were triple threats," he says. "They could sing, they could dance, they could act. They were entertainers, and I believe that's a lost art now."
Bublé honed his skills as a showman through years of performing in hotel lounges and smoky bars - gigs his grandfather, a plumber, helped the underage singer secure by trading his plumbing services. By the time Foster met him 2000, Bublé already knew exactly what he brought to the table - a warm, engaging voice and unassailable taste in music. His debut album was an international smash, going Top Ten in the U.K. and Canada, and earning him his first Juno award for Best New Talent in 2004. The follow-up, It's Time, sold more than 5.5 million copies, and has remained on the Billboard Traditional Jazz charts for a staggering two years, and in the Number 1 slot for more than 80 weeks, an all-time record.
But along with his passion for creating great music in the studio, performing on stage is pure paradise for Michael Bublé. "I just love getting in front of people," he says. "It's so important to be in touch with your audience. They've paid their money. I want them to be entertained. If they want to cry or laugh or dance or sing or yell, they can do whatever they want. My responsibility is just to take them away."
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