On Lily’s iPod: “Call Me Irresponsible” by Michael Bublé
Call him...irresistable?Bublé is back in town, better than ever!
Showing a more serious and romantic side, Michael Bublé leaps from his 2005 hit-maker, “It’s Time” to his latest effort, “Call Me Irresponsible” with a more mature sound. It would seem that the baby-faced Burnaby, British Columbia native has matured into the mantel worn by the likes of Frank Sinatra. He and his team of producers have chosen a mixture of standards and two new original songs (of which he does get some writing credit) for his third official studio effort.
This time around, the arrangements have the drama and heat that captures a man who is bent on winning you over. Think of it this way: “It’s Time” was about flirting and courting you. “Call Me Irresponsible” is about keeping you in his life forever. It’s a wonderful natural progression in performance and musicality in a time where most people will rush out an album just so they can sustain the hype. According to the entertainment industry’s vaunted daily, Variety, Bublé “…once again re-invents pop’s greatest standards, with his own wicked, sexy twist.”
The album has it all. You have your kicky, swinging standards such as “The Best is Yet to Come” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.” But, Bublé also takes some risks by remaking some modern day pop songs. His version of the sweet and sentimental, “Always On My Mind” is very striking. If you didn’t know any better, you would have never known the song was first made popular by a man known for wearing hippie braids, smoking pot, and singing at Farm Aid (for the slow kids…that’s Willie Nelson).
As with his other albums, there is something about his duet work that just stands out. I didn’t think it would get better than his versions of “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” (with Laura Pauisini on “Caught in the Act”) and “Quando, Quando, Quando” (with Nelly Furtado off “It’s Time). Bublé’s silky voice melds with his guest artists perfectly on two tracks. A very bluesy rendition of “Comin’ Home Baby” is backed by harmonists extraordinaire, Boyz II Men. And working with that seductive bossa nova beat, Bublé’s puts a spin on Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” with Brazilian star, Ivan Lins.
As I’ve listened to the CD over the week, my two favorite songs on the album so far are covers. Track 2 brings us a sizzling, Latin arranged Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer ditty called “It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera).” Movie fans may remember a lithe Fran Jefferies slinking around a ski lodge in a cat suit singing this song in Italian in the 1963 comedy classic, “The Pink Panther.” In this revamped version, you feel the thrill and excitement of the chase as Bublé warns “…a sweet Paisana, it had better be tonight.”
Running neck and neck for my Song-Of-the-Moment is Bublé’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s folk-rock “I’m Your Man.” While Cohen’s original version is a cool, deconstructed Gene Pitney-esque performance, Michael Bublé turns it into a plea to consider him as a partner for the short time frame of eternity. The genius is how he interprets Cohen’s intimate lyrics:
Showing a more serious and romantic side, Michael Bublé leaps from his 2005 hit-maker, “It’s Time” to his latest effort, “Call Me Irresponsible” with a more mature sound. It would seem that the baby-faced Burnaby, British Columbia native has matured into the mantel worn by the likes of Frank Sinatra. He and his team of producers have chosen a mixture of standards and two new original songs (of which he does get some writing credit) for his third official studio effort.
This time around, the arrangements have the drama and heat that captures a man who is bent on winning you over. Think of it this way: “It’s Time” was about flirting and courting you. “Call Me Irresponsible” is about keeping you in his life forever. It’s a wonderful natural progression in performance and musicality in a time where most people will rush out an album just so they can sustain the hype. According to the entertainment industry’s vaunted daily, Variety, Bublé “…once again re-invents pop’s greatest standards, with his own wicked, sexy twist.”
The album has it all. You have your kicky, swinging standards such as “The Best is Yet to Come” and “I’ve Got the World on a String.” But, Bublé also takes some risks by remaking some modern day pop songs. His version of the sweet and sentimental, “Always On My Mind” is very striking. If you didn’t know any better, you would have never known the song was first made popular by a man known for wearing hippie braids, smoking pot, and singing at Farm Aid (for the slow kids…that’s Willie Nelson).
As with his other albums, there is something about his duet work that just stands out. I didn’t think it would get better than his versions of “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” (with Laura Pauisini on “Caught in the Act”) and “Quando, Quando, Quando” (with Nelly Furtado off “It’s Time). Bublé’s silky voice melds with his guest artists perfectly on two tracks. A very bluesy rendition of “Comin’ Home Baby” is backed by harmonists extraordinaire, Boyz II Men. And working with that seductive bossa nova beat, Bublé’s puts a spin on Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” with Brazilian star, Ivan Lins.
As I’ve listened to the CD over the week, my two favorite songs on the album so far are covers. Track 2 brings us a sizzling, Latin arranged Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer ditty called “It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera).” Movie fans may remember a lithe Fran Jefferies slinking around a ski lodge in a cat suit singing this song in Italian in the 1963 comedy classic, “The Pink Panther.” In this revamped version, you feel the thrill and excitement of the chase as Bublé warns “…a sweet Paisana, it had better be tonight.”
Running neck and neck for my Song-Of-the-Moment is Bublé’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s folk-rock “I’m Your Man.” While Cohen’s original version is a cool, deconstructed Gene Pitney-esque performance, Michael Bublé turns it into a plea to consider him as a partner for the short time frame of eternity. The genius is how he interprets Cohen’s intimate lyrics:
“And if you want boxer,
I will step into the ring for you.
And if you want a Doctor,
I'll examine every inch of you.
And if you want a driver climb inside.
And if you want to take me for a ride.
You know you can...
Cause I'm your man…”
Many apologies to the men in our lives. While she may love you to death, I can almost guarantee your love will look at you and say “Why can’t you say things like that to me?” when she hears this verse.
“Call Me Irresponsible” is a very well thought out album. The nuanced vocal brings to the surface new aspects of the songs with every listen. Humberto Gatica and David Foster’s skillz as mega-producers are still intact as the arrangements swagger and swell, but do not overtake the star of the show. Really, the only clunker I see on the album is an ill-fitting rendition “Me and Mrs. Jones” (although kudos go to Bublé’s current girlfriend, “The Devil Wears Prada’s” Emily Blunt, for singing the fade away vocal at the end).
Check your local retailers for the deluxe edition of the CD that includes a bonus DVD on the making of the album (here in the U.S., Target retails it for about $13-$14). If you are a fanatic of everything Michael Bublé, and can’t make any of his current tour dates – then the DVD should suffice until they make another concert DVD.
After going through “Call Me Irresponsible,” you can call me satisfied with this album!
“Call Me Irresponsible” is a very well thought out album. The nuanced vocal brings to the surface new aspects of the songs with every listen. Humberto Gatica and David Foster’s skillz as mega-producers are still intact as the arrangements swagger and swell, but do not overtake the star of the show. Really, the only clunker I see on the album is an ill-fitting rendition “Me and Mrs. Jones” (although kudos go to Bublé’s current girlfriend, “The Devil Wears Prada’s” Emily Blunt, for singing the fade away vocal at the end).
Check your local retailers for the deluxe edition of the CD that includes a bonus DVD on the making of the album (here in the U.S., Target retails it for about $13-$14). If you are a fanatic of everything Michael Bublé, and can’t make any of his current tour dates – then the DVD should suffice until they make another concert DVD.
After going through “Call Me Irresponsible,” you can call me satisfied with this album!
posted by Lillian T. White @ 9:44 PM
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