Call Me Irresponsible

by

Michael Bublé

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Though the ghosts of Frank Sinatra and Peter Allen still battle for his soul, in his new CD "Call Me Irresponsible" Michael Buble has finally found his own voice and personality. For those who doubt that his channeling Harry Connick Jr. channeling Frank Sinatra schtick is done, jump to his rendition of the Sinatra signature song "That's Life" and listen to his unaffected vocal amid the combination of both gospel choir and big band.

Looking for other sources of inspiration has led Buble to Billy Paul for "Me And Mrs. Jones" which is done in a more matter-of-fact manner than the hand-wringing original; to Jack Jones for the title cut "Call Me Irresponsible" which is more laid back than the original despite the big band arrangement; to Eric Clapton whose "Wonderful Tonight" becomes a lovely Latin love song with assistance from the great Ivan Lins; and to Willie Nelson whose "Always On My Mind" is a beautiful song which gets the beautiful voice it deserves. A wide variety of sources and styles that Michael masters and makes his own.

Two polished diamonds that cement the new identity are "Everything" in which all previous influences are absent and it is Michael Buble emerging as his own man and the tender and laid back "I'm Your Man."

Special mention must go to the arrangements which swing when they need to and modulate for the tender moments such as "Lost." The upbeat arrangements of "It Had Better Be Tonight" (which can only be described as big band Italian salsa) and "Comin' Home Baby" (with it's backing vocals from Boyz II Men) are just brilliant.

A must for fans and a step towards world dominance by this Canadian superhero, this is a wonderful leap forward for an artist who in the past has been weighed down by his influences. But as he warns us all with the CD opener, "The Best Is Yet To Come."

For the most part, I am a Michael Buble fan. He has a very pleasing tone, a good range and an excellent sense of swing. He is also one of the few young male singers around who clearly has a genuine affinity for the Great American Songbook, and the vocal chops to pull it off. Usually, the only demerits I give Buble are for lifting arrangements directly from other singers' (namely Sinatra's) recordings. "Call Me Irresponsible" is a bit of a misstep, however. Buble's recordings typically include a sampling of numbers from the past along with more contemporary material, and he generally succeeds in bridging the gap between the two genres. On this recording, however, the differences between old and new feel more pronounced, giving the album a more uneven, less cohesive feel. Most surprising - as another reviewer has correctly noted - is the rather pronounced lisp Buble appears to have developed since his fine "It's Time" release two years ago. It does indeed sound like Buble burned or pierced his tongue prior to recording what now comes out as "The Betht ith Yet to Come" and "I've Got the World on a Thtwing". (One can only hope he finds a speech therapist before attempting "Stella By Starlight" or "Stairway to the Stars".) Finally, while Buble is to be commended for trying to infuse new life into old tunes, I have some concerns that he may be veering a little too close to Harry Connick Juniorville (an unhappy place where bizarre arrangements and inappropriate orchestrations are used to distract the listener from serious vocal limitations) on his versions of "That's Life" and the aforementioned "I've Got the World on a String". Buble is too talented a singer to have to reach into Harry's bag of tricks, and one hopes that he doesn't wander too far astray on future releases - of which there are sure to be many, given his popularity and relative youth. I could be wrong, but despite the generally positive reviews this release is currently receiving, I just don't think "Call Me Irresponsible" is going to end up being one of the more significant recordings in Buble's catalog. Better luck nextht thtime, Michael.