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Review Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti and Harry Connick Jr. are just some of the contemporary crooners who've been branded with the neo-Sinatra stamp, a label that suggests not only a signature singing style and a nostalgic temperament, but also - at worst - an utter lack of originality.
To be fair to Bublé, his albums to date - 2003's Michael Bublé and 2005's It's Time - show he can hold a tune. Comprised mainly of covers, these collections successfully promote a charming, even chivalrous personality, with a frictionless voice capable of churning out pop classics, torch songs, sentimental ballads and upbeat Latino tunes to order.
Call Me Irresponsible continues in much the same vein, though the crisp finger-snaps and swinging arrangements of opener "The Best Is Yet To Come," immediately suggests this third studio album might be punchier than its predecessors.
The infectious joie de vivre of tunes like "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" and Mel Torme's "Coming Home Baby," (which features background harmonics from Boyz II Men) indeed find Bublé at his very best. You can almost imagine him in the studio - tie loosened, suit-sleeves rolled up, tiny pools of perspiration building on his forehead - as he lets fly.
His version of "Me & Mrs Jones" is a subtler affair, though still engaging, while Leonard Cohen's pathos-infused "I'm Your Man" gets a very reasonable rethink, complete with tension-building pauses and shimmering, Mancini-style strings.
It's the slower, schmaltzy songs that get the album into trouble.
The bossa-esque version of Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and the cover of Presley's "Always On My Mind" are unforgivably mawkish; his own songs - "Everything," with its pseudo-Latin rhythm and "Island-In-The-Stream" style verses, and the lachrymose "Lost" - are only slightly more convincing.
The perky big band groove of "I've Got The World On A String" and the Gospel-backed, bluesy "That's Life" help prevent the album sliding into total coffee-shop pop.
Bublé hasn't reinvented the wheel here, but his choice of covers is astute and he has an undeniable way with a song. Pop pioneer he ain't; but he does perhaps deserve a little more credit than being a 'Sinatra clone'. --Paul Sullivan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Call Me Irresponsible ... Definitely Buble's Biggest Triumph ... Reprise (2007)",
By
This review is from: Call Me Irresponsible (Special Edition) (Audio CD)
Reprise/ Warner presents "CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE" [Special Edition], featuring pop vocalist of the millennium Michael Buble, the Vancouver crooner with his latest release with new material and some vintage standards --- Canadian crooner's third studio release, is about as responsible as it gets --- featuring an unforgettable youthful style that takes you back to the '40s, '50s and '60s --- listening to every tune on this album brings back memories of Nat King Cole (one of my favorite singers of all time), Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra as they were crooning favorite standards of the day --- Buble is a cross between James Dean and Elvis Presley in appearance, with the style and ability of Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin --- Michael has the uncanny ability to nail each track with his signature style and making it his own.
Buble's performance is impeccable, the renditions are simply from the heart --- one can hardly pick a stand out, entire recording draws on the swinging Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra at his back, plus slow tempos with blends of original sentiment and gorgeous melodies in the order in which they appear: 1. "The Best Is Yet to Come" (3:05) - (Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh) - One of Tony Bennett's all time greatest hits and Michael does it proud. 2. "It Had Better Be Tonight" (Meglio Stasera) (3:06) - (Mancini/Mercer/Migliacci) - Henry Mancini's catchy tune from "The Pink Panther", with a cool David Foster arrangement. 3. "Me and Mrs. Jones (4:33) - (Huff/Gamble/Gilbert) - Buble has a good thing going with this track 4. "I'm Your Man" (4:59) - (Leonard Cohen) - The beast won't go to sleep, has Buble bringing it home 5. "Comin' Home Baby" (3:27) - (Dorough/Tucker) - Buble shares the stage with Boyz II Men, with a Mel Torme classic tune 6. "Lost" (3:40) - (Buble/Arden/Chang) - An original song with a relationship that Buble puts behind him with this heartfelt lyrical masterpiece 7. "Call Me Irresponsible" (3:16) - (Cahn/Van Heusen) - Big hit for Jack Jones but move over, Buble is taking this one on and filling those big shoes nicely 8. "Wonderful Tonight" (4:12) - (Eric Clapton) - (duet with Ivan Lins) - And then she asks Buble and Lins, Do I look alright ... they reply we feel wonderful cause we see the love light in your eyes 9. "Everything" (3:33) - (Buble/Change/Amy Foster Gilles) - a Buble original sets this album apart from the rest, youe every song, and I sing along cause you're my everything 10. "I've Got the World on a String" (2:47) - (Arlen/Koehler) - Lifes a wonderful thing as long as I hold that string 11. "Always on My Mind" (4:30) - (James/Thompson/Christopher) - Girl I'm so sorry I was blind, you were always on my mind 12. "That's Life" (4:15) - (Gordon/Thompson) - Many times I thought of cutting out, but my heart won't buy it 13. "Dream" (5:05) - (Johnny Mercer) - Doesn't get any better with one of my all time favorite songwriters and his classic 1944 tune, with the best arranger on the planet Johnny Mandel 14. "Love" (4:45) - (Bert Kaempfert/Milt Gabler) - Instrumentally Bert Kaempfert and vocally Nat "King" Cole made this an international hit back in the '60s, now Buble takes up the baton and gives this a successful run within the winners circle Special footnote, Bublé was born in Burnaby, British Columbia --- He is of Italian descent with dual citizenship in Italy, graduated from Cariboo Hill Secondary School --- Bublé grew up listening to his grandfather's collection of jazz records --- Bublé highlights the importance of his grandfather in encouraging his musical tastes. "My grandfather was really my best friend growing up --- He was the one who opened me up to a whole world of music that seemed to have been passed over by my generation --- Although I like rock and roll and modern music, the first time my granddad played me the Mills Brothers, something magical happened --- The lyrics were so romantic, so real... the way a song should be for me --- It was like seeing my future flash before me. I wanted to be a singer and I knew that this was the music that I wanted to sing." (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Michael in a St. Louis concert, met him back stage --- might add this young man made a very positive impression on all who attended that night's show --- he's a first class guy and has everything going for him --- couldn't happen to a nicer person...it's like second nature with his natural ability to vocalize and be a crowd pleaser is pure magic --- shows why Buble has the the stuff stars are made of...he's the hottest property in the genre of "American Standards" today --- as Michael warns his band, "get ready it's about to start all over again" --- climb aboard this musical merry-go-round, you'll never regret it --- Good Luck, Michael with your sophomore studio recording --- it is definitely your biggest triumph. Total Time: 54:00 on 14 Tracks ~ Warner Music 100324 ~ (5/09/2007)
68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Call Me Irresponsible Tour Edition,
By Joshua de Gray "Josh" (Kent, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Call Me Irresponsible Tour Edition (Audio CD)
Well can I start by saying that Call Me Irresponsible is a great Buble album, one of his best and this Tour Edition was only bought out to promote his UK tour.
Now for that reason I was thinking should I buy this? And if you already own CMI then your probaly thinking the same. Well what do you get? Eight songs is the answer, two new studio recordings (however if you already own the internet edition of this album then you already have Orange Coloured Sky), 3 new mixes of his 'biggest hits' and 3 christmas songs. Now are they any good? I thought Stuck In The Middle With You was great, a new Buble favourite of mine. Orange Coloured Sky was good but I didn't think he did as good as job as he did with Stuck in the miidle. The 3 new mixes i didn't really like and felt that they shouldn't have been put on the album. Now don't get me wrong I like Everything and Lost alot and Homes ok. But I just felt a bit cheated with this I already own these songs and the new mixes arn't great, this is the real problem with this edition of CMI. Lost dosn't sound much different just a bit shorter, the new intro to Home I didn't like and I just want to stop listeing to it after I hear that and the new Everything I thought wasn't as good as the original record. Still the actual songs are good it's just what the people who remixed did that makes me think there not great. And the Christmas song? Well again there OK but not great. Let It Snow I quite enjoyed and the other two just seemed a liitle average. Still Buble did recored them at the same time as his first album (there off his Christmas EP) and I think he's improved as a recording artist, I feel his voice has got alot better as is his treatment of a lyric, I still enjoyed his first album though. Now should you buy this? If you don't already own CMI then yes because what you get is at a good price (the album, the second disc and the booklet now comes with some great linear notes). However if you do already own CMI then this is really for die hards only who want everything he's recorded. That said if you have the money for it, spare and there isn't really anything else you want then go for it! 'Cos it's undeniable true that Stuck In The Middle With You is great!
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The easiest of Easy Listening,
By
This review is from: Call Me Irresponsible (Standard Edition) (Audio CD)
Heard a lot of this guy on the radio but this is my first album purchase, and it's great. There are a lot of people doing the "American Songbook" style classics at the moment and it would be easy to pigeon-hole this guy as just another one, but he's not. This is a very talented young man with a great voice - soft and smooth when it needs to be and powerful when it needs to be. He says he loves singing this stuff and I think it shows in this recording. You'll know most of the songs on the album and it is just simply a delight to listen to - perfect for kicking back and chilling out after a hard day, or as a perfect backdrop to a quiet night in for two. Highly recommended
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