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Michael Buble: Call Me Irresponsible

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Michael Buble: Call Me Irresponsible
Once in a while, you come across an artist who seemingly can do no wrong. Michael Bublé is such an artist. Charismatic, talented and just plain good, the Canadian singer has a way of making every song seem golden.

With a recording career that began in 2003, Bublé has sold more than eleven million copies, establishing him as one of the most popular jazz artists in North America, if not the world. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award, is a four-time Juno Award winner, and his 5.5 million-selling It's Time (Reprise, 2005) holds the all-time record with eighty weeks in the number one slot on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Charts.

Call Me Irresponsible matches Bublé with a plethora of musicians, guest vocalists and arrangers. Backed by the popular West Coast-based Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Bublé sizzles on the opening track, Cy Coleman's "The Best Is Yet to Come, which was made popular by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Bublé goes Latin on "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera), a high-energy call of "let's make love tonight. Bublé's range and energy are in top form.

The R&B group Boyz II Men joins Bublé for a cover of Mel Torme's hit, "Comin' Home Baby. While maintaining a jazz flavor, this arrangement also captures a soulful element. The horn arrangement gives it extra punch. "Everything, one of two Bublé originals, is the kind of song that helps boost his crossover appeal. It's an upbeat tune that could just as easily score in pop as it does in jazz.

In addition to the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Bublé gets assistance from producer David Foster, who does arrangements as well as plays various keyboard instruments; Brian Bromberg on bass; Dean Parks on guitar; and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, among many others. But it's Bublé who brings it all together. He easily moves from one style to another. And he shows—with Boyz II Men, pairing with Brazilian singer Ivan Lins for Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight and backed by a choir on "Always on My Mind —that he can be just as good when sharing vocals as when he is a soloist. Ultimately, it's the versatility shown on Call Me Irresponsible that further solidifies Bublé as a dominant force on today's jazz scene.

Track Listing

The Best Is Yet to Come; It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera); Me and Mrs. Jones; Comin

Personnel

Michael Buble: vocals, horn arrangement (10); Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (1): Jeff Hamilton: drums; Christoph Luty: bass; Tamir Hendelman: piano; Gerald Clayton: keys; Graham Dechter: guitar; Emil Radocchia: percussion; Lee Callet: saxophones; Frederick Fiddmont: saxophones; Thomas Peterson: saxophones; Rickey Woodard: saxophones; Bijon Watson: trumpets; Gilbert Castellanos: trumpets; Salvator Cracchiolo: trumpets; James Ford: trumpets; Kye Palmer: trumpets; Guy Nepus: trombones; George Bohannon: trombones; Ryan Porter: trombones; Maurice Spears: trombones; James Self: tuba; Joseph Myers: French horns; Steven Becknell: French horns; Daniel Kelley: French horns; John Reynolds: French horns; David Foster: string arrangements (2-4, 11), horn arrangements (2-5, 10), piano (2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11), Rhodes (3, 8), keyboards (4), vocal arrangement (5); Jerry Hey: horn arrangements (2, 3, 5); Nathan East: bass (2, 6); Vinnie Colaiuta: drums (2-8, 10, 12); Dean Parks: guitars (2-6, 9-12); Rafael Padilla: percussion (2, 3-7, 9, 10, 12); Bill Ross: string arrangement (3, 11); Brian Bromberg: bass (3-5, 7, 8, 10-12); Emily Blunt: background vocals (3); Paulinho Da Costa: percussion (4, 8); Jochem Van Der Saag: programming and sound design (4, 6); Boyz II Men: vocals and vocal arrangement (5); Gerald Clayton: piano (5); Paul Buckmaster: string arrangement (6); Jorge Calandrelli: string arrangement (8), Ivan Lins: vocals (8); Alan Chang: piano (8, 9); Heitor Pereira: guitar (8); Marcelo Costa: percussion (8); Norm Fisher: bass (9); Josh Freese: drums (9); Keith Scott: guitars (9); Michael Landau: guitars (9); David Sinclair: acoustic guitar (9); Don Sebesky: horn arrangement (10); Joel Peskin: saxophone (10); Gary Foster: background vocals (10); Salvadore Lozano: background vocals (10); Bill Liston: background vocals (10); David Boruff: background vocals (10); Joel Peskin: background vocals (10); Rick Baptist: background vocals (10); Daniel Fornero: background vocals (10); Wayne Bergeron: background vocals (10); Bryan Lipps: background vocals (10); Charles Loper: background vocals (10); Alan Kaplan: background vocals (10); Bruce Otto:background vocals (10); Phil Teele: background vocals (10); Joe Labarera: drums (11); Greg Phillinganes: piano (12); Carmen Carter: background vocals (12); Antoinette Scruggs: background vocals (12); Siedah Garrett: background vocals (12); Valerie Pinkston: background vocals (12); Lynne Fiddmont: background vocals (12); Beverly Staunton: background vocals (12); Sharlotte Gibson: background vocals (12); Clorishey Lewis: background vocals (12); Ken Stacey: background vocals (12); Donald Smith: background vocals (12); Louis Price: background vocals (12); Anthony Field: background vocals (12); Michael Melvoin: piano (13); Charles Berghofer: bass (13); Ralph Humphrey: drums (13); Larry Koonse: guitar (13); Tamir Hendelman: synth (13); Donald Williams: percussion (13).

Album information

Title: Call Me Irresponsible | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: 143 Records/Reprise

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