Michael Bublé

Pop/Jazz Star Michael Bublé Talks About His Best-Selling Album, Call Me Irresponsible

By Dale Kawashima

Michael Buble

Over the past four years, Canadian artist Michael Bublé has steadily emerged as one of the most popular pop & jazz vocalists in the music industry. His 2003 debut album Michael Bublé has been certified platinum, and his 2005 second album It’s Time has gone double platinum and featured the #1 AC hit, “Home.” Now in mid-2007, Bublé’s new album Call Me Irresponsible (on 143/Reprise Records) figures to be his most successful album yet – it recently debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and it is also selling well in Canada, Europe and Australia.

Call Me Irresponsible showcases Bublé’s vocals in top form, adeptly singing a wide range of pop/jazz standards such as “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Call Me Irresponsible” and “That’s Life,” plus more contemporary pop songs like “Me And Mrs. Jones,” “Always On My Mind” and “Wonderful Tonight.” In addition, the album includes two new songs co-written by Bublé: the uptempo, romantic single “Everything,” and “Lost.”

In a recent interview, Bublé, 31, discussed the making of his new album, and how he worked again with producers David Foster (who signed him to his label deal) & Humberto Gatica. He talked about how he selected the songs for the album, and that he enjoyed singing a duet with renowned Brazilian artist, Ivan Lins. In addition, he tells how he co-wrote his new songs “Everything” and “Lost.”

Before he began recording Call Me Irresponsible, Bublé acknowledged that he felt the pressure of trying to top his first two platinum albums. “I was terrified, because I knew that it had to be better than the first two – that it had to show growth without alienating anyone,” he said. “So I sat there from the very beginning and came up with the songs, put together the skeleton, and thought about what arrangers I would hire. I even ended up at the mastering session, which artists rarely attend. I wanted to be involved in every aspect because I wanted it to be conceptually beautiful.”

Bublé was pleased to team up again with his Grammy-winning producers David Foster (whose credits Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston) and Humberto Gatica (Elton John, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson). “We definitely have a great working relationship where I think I interfere just enough,” said Bublé with a laugh. “I mean, David is the greatest producer in the world. He and Humberto are both so amazing. I couldn’t do it without them.”

On Call Me Irresponsible, there are many song highlights, with Bublé delivering fine vocal performances on both the older standards and more contemporary hits. On the Mel Torme 1962 hit “Comin’ Home Baby,” he recruited top R&B vocal group Boyz II Men to provide rich, soulful harmonies. And on his rendition of the Frank Sinatra hit “That’s Life,” he brought in Mervyn Warren of the acclaimed a cappella group Take 6 to lead a gospel choir, plus create the horn and string arrangements.

Michael Buble

Another notable cut is “Wonderful Tonight” (written by Eric Clapton), which features a graceful duet between Bublé and Brazilian singer/writer Ivan Lins. “I’ve always been very sentimental about that song,” said Bublé. “What is interesting about that track is here I am, a 31-year-old guy from Canada who’s singing a song that mean so much to me with a 61-year-old man from Brazil, who’s singing in his own language but it means the exact same thing to both of us.”

In addition to his skillful interpretations of these famous songs, it’s also impressive that Bublé demonstrates his strong songwriting ability on the two songs he co-wrote, “Everything” and “Lost.” In fact, it can be argued that these two songs are among the most effective and compelling cuts on this album, because the songs were created by Bublé and are uniquely personal.

Bublé discussed “Everything,” which he wrote with Amy Foster-Gilles & Alan Chang. “I wrote that song about the great happiness of real love, but at the same time I was making a statement about the world. We’re living in really crazy times, and I wanted to say that no matter what’s happening, this person in my life is what really makes it worthwhile.” "Everything" was produced by Bob Rock, who is known for producing Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and Metallica.

He also talked about “Lost,” which he wrote with Canadian singer/songwriter Jann Arden & Alan Chang. “It’s an anthem for star-crossed lovers,” Bublé explained. “Sometimes relationships don’t work out because love isn’t enough, but that doesn’t mean you have to discard the person. There is a way to end a relationship and still be there when they need you. That’s basically what it’s about.”

Now with the successful release of Call Me Irresponsible, Buble is about to embark on a major concert tour, first in North America and then in Europe. He has already announced 28 dates for his summer U.S. tour, which begins in Reno, NV on July 12. Bublé will also be performing shows in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and many other cities.