Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible (2007) {Japan 1st Press}

More than any of his contemporaries, vocalist Michael Bublé has bridged the gap between standards-oriented vocal pop and more contemporary pop vocals. Having perfected the mix on his superb 2003 effort, It's Time, which found the Frank Sinatra-influenced singer covering both "I've Got You Under My Skin" and Leon Russell's R&B ballad "A Song for You," Bublé wisely doesn't mess with a good thing on 2007's Call Me Irresponsible. Once again delving into a mix of swinging big-band numbers and classic pop hits such as the wickedly hip '60s standard "Comin' Home Baby" (featuring backing vocals from Boyz II Men), the album is a breezy, stylish good time. And while such cuts as "The Best Is Yet to Come" and the laid-back title track comfortably cast Bublé as a modern-day crooner consistent with his billing, the unexpected reworkings of contemporary pop songs often make the biggest impact. To these ends, his bossa nova duet with vocalist Ivan Lins on Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and the reharmonized Willie Nelson perennial "Always on My Mind" work particularly well here, not as cheeky cabaret but as artfully crafted and devastatingly moving ballads. And it's not just the cover tunes that drive the album; on the contrary, much like the Bublé co-written ballad "Home" defined the mood of It's Time, his sparkling melodic pop original "Everything" helps make Call Me Irresponsible a truly welcome pop album by any standard. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 as Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and "Everything" was nominated for Best Male Pop Performance.