Michael Buble Call Me Irresponsible CD

Michael Buble ranks among the best of the contemporary crooners working in a classic pop-vocal style, and his 2007 album, CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE, further refines his suave, smooth style. With its finger-snapping big band arrangements, the album has its share of homage to Frank and Dino, both obvious cornerstones of Buble's music. But this isn't merely a retro exercise; the tunes, the production, and the overall feel are decidedly contemporary.

Stylistically adventurous versions of songs by Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, and Willie Nelson keep things lively, while "Everything," a Buble original, is one of the album's highlights. Still, cuts like the lead-off track ("The Best Is Yet to Come") and the old chestnut "I've Got the World on a String" will give listeners looking for some elegant, back-in-the-day pizzazz exactly that.

Recording information: Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Chartmaker Studios; Conway Recording Studios; Record Plant Recording Studios; Signet Sound; The Village, Los Angeles, CA; The Warehouse Studio; Westlake Recording Studios.

Photographers: Eric Ogden; Matt Taylor; William Claxton.

Unknown Contributor Role: Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Arrangers: David Foster; Bob Rock; John Clayton; Johnny Mandel; Michael Bublé; Bill Holman; Alan Chang.

Personnel: Antoinette Scruggs, Siedah Garrett, Carmen Carter (vocals); Graham Dechter, Dean Parks, Heitor Teixeira Pereira, Larry Koonse, Michael Landau, Keith Scott (guitar); Dave Sinclair (acoustic guitar); Joel Peskin (saxophone, background vocals); Frederick Fiddmont, Lee Callet, Rickey Woodard, Thomas R. Peterson (saxophone); Salvator Cracchiolo, Gilbert Castellanos, James Ford (trumpet); Daniel Kelley, John A. Reynolds, Steve Becknell, Joseph Meyers (French horn); Guy Nepus, George Bohannon, Maurice Spears (trombone); James Self (tuba); David Foster (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Gerald Clayton (piano, keyboards); Tamir Hendelman (piano, synthesizer); Greg Phillinganes, Michael Melvoin, Alan Chang (piano); Jeff Hamilton , Joe La Barbera, Josh Freese, Ralph Humphrey, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Marcelo Costa, Emil Radocchia, Paulinho Da Costa, Rafael Padilla, Donald Williams (percussion); Jochem van der Saag (programming); Daniel Fornero, Salvadore Lozano, Emily Blunt, Rev. Dave Boruff, Gary Foster, Alan Kaplan, Phil Teele, Rick Baptist, Wayne Bergeron, Bill Liston, Charles Loper, Bruce Otto, Bryan Lipps (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Humberto Gatica.

Down Beat (p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "This CD is best when Buble wraps himself around the brass and reeds of a straight-up big band....John Hamilton and David Foster also provide a few high spots."
JazzTimes (p.91) - "[Buble] suggests the caramel-smooth creaminess of Steve Lawrence, the sensual warmth of Vic Damone, the swingin' bravura of Dean Martin and the boyish showmanship of Wayne Newton."