Friday, August 24, 2007 - 12:00 AM
AMANDA EDWARDS / GETTY IMAGES
At first regarded with suspicion, Michael Bublé has proved he has style. The Canadian singer who has sold 13 million records is scheduled to perform in Portland on Monday.
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Jazz Etc.
Bublé's grows in experience, vocal range
By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times jazz critic
Michael Bublé, whose album "Call Me Irresponsible" (143/Reprise) has topped the jazz charts 14 weeks, is riding to the Vancouver airport, headed for Los Angeles.
Bublé's voice is deeper and more mature now than it was when he hit the international scene four years ago, able to sustain long, low notes and keep them full and rich. Has he been doing anything special to achieve this?
"I've moved up to four, five packs a day," quips the Canadian. "And then there's the bottle of scotch before breakfast."
At 31, Bublé is still a kid at heart, who loves to joke with the press, particularly about our hapless descriptives for voices — "smoky," "scotch 'n' soda," "honeyed."
Unlike a lot of performers, though, he actually likes interviews. He squeezed this one in at the last minute, despite the fact his Seattle shows at McCaw Hall — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — have been sold out for weeks. (There are still tickets for the Monday show in Portland, though they are very expensive — $150-$305: www.ticketsnow.com.)
"I think I'm just older," he offers. "My range has naturally gotten lower and lower. And, like anything, the more you do it, the more you learn."
It's heartening that Bublé has continued to learn and grow. At first regarded with high suspicion by critics as yet another unctuous, Las Vegas-style derivative of Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Harry Connick Jr., Bublé has proved he is not just about style — which he definitely has on stage — but substance.
Many tunes on the new album were recorded live in the studio — with full band and strings — giving it a convincing, immediate feel.
"I afforded myself the opportunity to take a risk and sing live," he says. "Because of that, there's a little more continuity, emotionally. Maybe not as slick, but quite honest. The ballads were my favorite — 40, 50 strings and everyone's playing along. And you can really get into the lyric."
When Bublé launches into the bouncy Sinatra favorite "The Best Is Yet To Come," the track bristles with élan, thanks not only to Bublé but to arranger John Clayton, also the pen behind the last Diana Krall album.
"John is so brilliant," agrees Bublé, who says he personally invited Clayton and the great Bill Holman to write for the project. "John seems to be able to just take a song and make it stronger than you thought it would be. Just when you think it can't get any meatier, it does."
Never entirely a retro artist, Bublé has always done songs from the "second" Great American Songbook of the '60s and '70s. His bossa nova duet with the great Brazilian singer/songwriter Ivan Lins on Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" is a brilliant stroke. Miraculously, he and David Foster (who produced most of the album) transformed the dark, aching Leonard Cohen ballad "I'm Your Man" into swinging jazz.
Bublé grew up in Burnaby, B.C. (also home to Michael J. Fox), and after paying dues in local lounges and bars caught a break when former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney invited him to sing at his daughter's wedding. Foster was a guest, and the result was Bublé's first, self-named CD, released in 2003.
Since then, the effervescent showman has sold 13 million albums worldwide.
So why do two of the world's top jazz singers — Krall being the other — hail from British Columbia?
"Canada is a nation of observers," answers Bublé. "This American songbook is one of the greatest gifts ever given to the arts by America. We watch."
Bublé is doing a lot more than watching.
"Well, some people say there's nothing else to do in Canada Saturday
| FROM STANDARDS TO POP, HE REACHES A WIDE AUDIENCE |
| By Yoshi Kato Special to the Mercury News San Jose Mercury News |
| Article Launched:08/23/2007 01:38:43 AM PDT |
|
When seated among Michael Bublé's demonstrably enthusiastic fans at one of his concerts, shows by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and more recently 'N Sync, the Spice Girls and Britney Spears come to mind. Screams, mostly high-pitched, greet the vocalist, and various items are lovingly and lustily hurled onto the stage. Bublé, 31, has worked hard for success, starting some 17 years ago with lounge shows in his native British Columbia. Now he tours with a big band, led by San Jose native Alan Chang, and he continues to attract a growing audience with both vintage and contemporary material. "The fun thing for me that I've noticed this tour is there's a lot more men," says Bublé by phone while en route to the Vancouver airport. "I think that that's really healthy. I never wanted to be - I don't know what you call it, but you get my point. I think that those kind of acts (sometimes) fade away quickly and that women get tired of them quickly. It was important for me to show up and perform for those guys that were dragged to my shows, so that they'd want to come back." These days, Bublé suspects, some men willingly come to his concerts with their girlfriends. On Saturday, when the Canadian vocalist plays Oracle Arena in Oakland, the crowd is likely to be diverse. "It's definitely a trip," the singer says, "young, old, gay, straight, white, black, rich, poor - you'll see everybody." According to band leader Chang, sometimes the Bublé magic rubs off on him, too. "If we go out after shows and people are waiting in line to meet Michael," he says, "they'll sometimes say, `Oh, let's get the band to sign (an autograph), too.' It's funny to meet young kids who think that Michael wrote (Cole Porter's) `I've Got You Under My Skin.' But they know all the words; 13-year-old girls know all the words to that song, which is great." Bublé has spoken admiringly of his own idols - Presley, Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin - noting their abilities, in some cases, to dance and act, as well as sing. Bublé tried out acting on an episode of NBC's "Las Vegas," but his real versatility is in the sweep of his music. First, there are the standards, including "I've Got the World on a String" and "Call Me Irresponsible" (the title track on his latest CD, from 143 records/Reprise). Beyond the American Songbook, there are selections from Leonard Cohen ("I'm Your Man"), Van Morrison ("Moondance"), Eric Clapton ("Wonderful Tonight," a duet with the great Brazilian singer-songwriter Ivan Lins), etc. And finally, there are the hits Bublé has composed himself, including "Home" (from "It's Time," 2005, co-written with Chang and Amy Foster-Gillies). "I think that, if I had only sung standards, you might see a certain demographic in the audience," Bublé says. "But I've got a No. 1 song that I wrote, that's on pop radio in America ("Everything"), and I sing everything from Queen to Marvin Gaye to Otis Redding." He says it doesn't matter to him "when they were written, or by whom. If I can interpret them and come up with a great concept, then I do my very best." His charisma and showmanship are impressive. Asked about the response of audiences at his shows, he says, "I'm sincere when I sing, and I'm hoping that's a part of why people respond the way they do."Michael |
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He's got it all: the looks, the starlet girlfriend, a career on the the brink of superstardom. But he keeps talking himself into trouble
JONATHON GATEHOUSE | August 27, 2007 |
''If you write what I actually say, my mother will come after you and cut off your pee-pee." Occasionally, it can be hard to tell when Michael Bublé is joking, but the threat -- as weird and Freudian as it sounds -- seems earnest enough. For the past couple of hours he's been up on stage in the cavernous Events Center in Reno, Nev., rehearsing for the opening show of his U.S. tour, and things haven't been going well. His 13-piece band is finding it hard to get it together, the crew can't seem to hit the light and curtain cues, and the sound mix is muddy. Conditions are ripe for a diva fit, but Bublé has been behaving more like a teenager angling for a detention, and his between-song patter is getting progressively more profane with each new snafu. Everyone is laughing. But it's only after he's questioned the social graces and parentage of his imaginary audience and looks out into the empty seats to see a reporter scribbling away that he starts looking fussed. Now, crouched down on the edge of the stage, he tries his hand at being menacing, fails, then starts pleading not to be quoted. "Every time I say something stupid my mom calls me up and bawls me out."
The Burnaby, B.C., native's constantly running mouth and flip sense of humour have caused him enough trouble lately. There was the crack about marrying his girlfriend, the Hollywood starlet Emily Blunt (who's out in the seats studying for her role as the young Queen Victoria in Martin Scorsese's next film) that got played as a straight-up proposal in the gossip pages. Another off-the-cuff remark -- about how he was going to stay home from the Grammys because his category, best traditional recording, was awarded before the televised ceremony and was a lock for Tony Bennett anyway -- ended up playing as a peevish attack on a singer he adores. Add in earlier missteps like admitting he threw up in the garden at Leo DiCaprio's house. Or a booze-and-strippers boys' night out in the Philippines that was recounted in all its very graphic glory in a British magazine, and you get the sense that Bublé may be letting a lot of mom's calls ring through to voice mail.
The rules of the game are changing for the 32-year-old singer. He's no longer an up-and-coming kid with a nice backstory and a big set of pipes. Now, Michael Bublé is on the cusp of superstardom. His new album, Call Me Irresponsible, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. In just 14 weeks, it has sold close to 820,000 copies in the U.S., and 1.4 million more worldwide. The 19-city American tour is already sold out, and will be followed by a string of even larger European dates -- culminating at London's Wembley Arena in December -- and then a winter Canadian tour. All told, Bublé expects to be on the road for the next two years, hitting more than 40 countries. He's already big in Australia, Italy, Germany, South Africa and the Far East. But if all goes according to plan, by the time he finally makes it back home, he'll be a truly global phenomenon.
The Grammys debacle was a wake-up call for Bublé. After 16 years of struggling to get people to pay attention, suddenly, they are. "I said a lot of s--t before, but no one cared," he says later as we sit in his dressing room. After the story broke, Bublé spent two days at home in his Vancouver condo with the shades drawn. What really stuck with him, he says, was the insight offered by one of his managers. "She said, 'For all the wonderful things that have happened in your life, and all the wonderful things you have, you do know that fame is the worst of all.' "
It's a lot to ask, to feel sorry for a guy who's living the dream. But Bublé's greatest talent is his likeability. Five minutes of conversation and it's as if you've been friends for life. There's no hovering PR flack, or entourage. His newly acquired "bodyguard" -- a job that mostly consists of extracting Michael from the warm embraces of overheated grandmas during shows -- is an extra-large buddy from high school. More than 12 million albums sold and he's still trying to break himself of the habit of looking up the bad reviews on the Internet and brooding about them. "It sucks when someone doesn't like you," he says. "I want everyone to like me."
Jann Arden, the fellow
| Michael Bublé's conductor got his start in San Jose |
| By Yoshi Kato Special to the Mercury News San Jose Mercury News |
| Article Launched:08/22/2007 04:25:15 PM PDT |
| During his show at the Berkeley Community Theatre last March, Michael Bublé made a point to introduce Alan Chang as not only a his musical director but as a San Jose native, as well.
"That's the hometown boy," Bublé said in a phone interview on Monday. An Almaden native, an alumnus of Castillero Middle School and a member of Pioneer High School's class of 1998, pianist Chang has been the leader of Bublé's touring band for five years. Just after graduating with a degree in jazz studies from USC, he was referred to an audition for the musical director position after someone at Bublé's record label had heard him perform a student recital. Chang landed the job, even though he wasn't Bublés first choice. The two have enjoyed a close working relationship ever since. "I think Alan's a great, quiet leader," said Bublé. "He gained the respect of all of us without having to raise his voice, ever." We caught up with Chang at his home in Southern California shortly before the latest leg of Bublé's tour at the nearby Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. It touches down Aug. 25 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Q Did you have the opportunity to gig much while you were living in the San Jose? Q What are you duties as musical director? Q How do you and Michael write songs together? Q Michael joked that you wouldn't be making any money playing the show in Oakland, as you've already "bought out most of the theater." |
Michael Buble, A crooner who curses and charms
Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 12:00 AM
By Jon Bream
Minneapolis) Star Tribune
Michael Buble was stumped. He could not name the last Canada-based male singer to land at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart before he accomplished it last month.
Bryan Adams with "Reckless" in 1984.
"You're [bleeping] me," blurted Buble. "I'll be bragging to my family in about three hours."
Buble, 32, croons like Sinatra, curses like Eddie Murphy and charms like Bill Clinton. Those traits may help explain why he has joined Nickelback, the Vancouver, B.C., rock band, and Celine Dion, the Montreal pop diva, at the top of the U.S. charts.
Crossing over
But why is it hard out there for a Canadian-based vocalist trying to score in the States?
"There are to things to jump over — become a success here, and then it is a jump to the U.S.," said Larry LeBlanc, Canadian bureau chief of Billboard. "The barrier is there. We can't go back and forth across your border like you can with ours."
Why did Buble's third album, "Call Me Irresponsible," debut at No. 1 in May? Buble (boo-BLAY; it's Italian, not French) will tell you it's because of career momentum. Adams told us in an e-mail it's because Buble is a good singer. Music marketing experts will tell you it's because of a one-two punch: appearing on "American Idol" and "Oprah."
"I was so [bleep-y] on 'Idol' that I think it would be the opposite," Buble said with a hearty laugh. "There were probably 80,000 people about to buy the record who went 'Oh, he's really not that good.' I don't know how much that helped. Maybe it put you in the consciousness of some of the American public."
"Oprah," however, was another story. "They say she's good for 35,000 or 40,000 records for that week and the next couple of weeks," he said this month from his Vancouver home. "That kind of power is pretty amazing. It was quite shocking to me to see that kind of impact."
The "Oprah" appearance effectively captured this modern-day lounge singer, who is one of those artists who must be seen live to be fully appreciated. Plus, he's a charming talker.
Rolling "loose and dirty"
Onstage, he's ham and cheese, slathered with lots of romantic dressing on two slices of dark and handsome. He sings and swings. He does shtick and turns on the charisma. As a London writer put it: He's like Bill Clinton — he'll come on to whomever is in front of him.
"Call Me Irresponsible" presents Buble's personality and stage essence more successfully than his first two discs, which were slickly produced by David Foster, the L.A.-based Canadian who has worked with Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban and Dion.
Buble attributes the improvement to his singing live instead of recording multiple takes and slicing them together for a pristine version. "David and I sometimes go to war over our sense of style," said the singer, who again worked with Foster on this album. "I like things to be a little more loose and dirty, and he likes things to be perfect."
Cue the girlfriend!
Once again, Buble takes on standards, including "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "That's Life." He also reimagines contemporary pop hits, including Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" (as a bossa nova duet with a man) and Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" (as a duet with a woman).
At dinner one night, Foster pitched "Me and Mrs. Jones," a 1972 soul hit, to Buble. He didn't even know the song, but his girlfriend, actress Emily Blunt of "The Devil Wears Prada" fame, proclaimed: "Oh, my God, this is wonderful!"
They went home, put "Me and Mrs. Jones" — about a man's affair with a married woman — on an iPod and Buble concluded: "It sucks." But after six or seven more listenings, he started to appreciate the melody and later the lyrics in a "sexy yet kitschy" way.
While recording it, Foster suggested adding a dark, moody female voice. Buble recommended Blunt, a cellist who can sing. So the producer auditioned her and she got the part.
But now when the recording comes on in front of unfamiliar listeners, right when it gets to
Michael Bublé: The Real Deal [441x277]
Monday, August 13, 2007; Page C05
Gentlemen, your attention, please: You won't want to hear this, but it's okay if you don't hate Michael Bublé. We know: Your wife/girlfriend has had at least one of his CDs on repeat since 2003. Your mother calls every time he's on the "Today" show. But on the evidence of his stylish revue at the Patriot Center Saturday night, he wants your vote, too. And thanks to his self-deprecating, Rat Packy stage persona, he deserves it.
Greeting "Virgin-yah," the 31-year-old Canadian said he knew the correct pronunciation, but would stick with his own because it suggests "a mystical fantasy country I want to go to." After a feverish rendition of "Fever," he expressed his "sincere appreciation for you, my fans -- you should see the house I just bought!" Bada-bing!
Bublé's standards-heavy set was mostly a series of valentines to the ladies who squealed every time he narrowed his eyes. He may more resemble "Footloose"-era Chris Penn than "Footloose"-era Kevin Bacon, but in the presence of his charisma -- not to mention those silky pipes -- the ladies would melt even if he looked like Tom Petty. It's rare in this era of "American Idol" bathos to hear a vocalist with the chops to pull off the flourishes Bublé deployed throughout the 95-minute concert. He made it look easy, and made it sound spectacular.
Not that the ladies in the house necessarily noticed. Based on their frequent interruptions of "We love you, Michael!" it seems they came more to gawk than to listen. He didn't discourage them, even leaping into the audience for a fan photo session.
An ace 13-piece big band backed the star. Feigning jealousy at the rapturous response to their hot-jazz instrumental number, Bublé sulked offstage. Trombonist Nick Vagenas leapt up to say what an insecure diva his boss is, even mocking Bublé's jerky dances. Only when Vagenas tried to sing did Bublé return. The only lull came when Bublé interrupted the parade of lounge favorites for some original tunes, "Home" and "Everything." Both No. 1 adult contemporary hits, they sounded ersatz amid all the warhorses.
"That's Life" featured a gospel choir. After an encore of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," Bublé repeated his thanks and said good night with "A Song for You."
It was a classy finish to a supremely entertaining evening. The only tacky note was the "MB" logo on the video screens and music st ands. No need to splash your name all over the stage, Mikey. You already proved who owns it.
Funny intro
That's Life
Michael thanks all the married women..who have cheated on their husbands
Michael Bublé Ass Grab
Michael Bublé takes over the trombone
A duet by Jane Monheit and Michael Buble from the album, Taking a Chance on Love
Michael Buble Greets Young Fan During Atlanta Concert
Michael Buble sings 'Everything' looking into camera
Michael Buble encourages men in the audience to be manly
Michael Buble covers Elvis
Майкл у "служебного входа" с поклонниками! Ууууу, скольких я так накараулила звезд
А такую звездулю грех "не покараулить" :))))))) Эээээээх! Старые-былые... Ничё, и на моей улице будет такой праздник :) его-то я не упущу! 
Michael Buble Go Braves Fox Theater Atlanta August 14th
Michael Buble Cartman South Park Impression Badass Atlanta
хе-хе
Смотрите эксклюзивное выступление Майкла с песней 'I've got the world on a string' для rehearsals.com!
WATCH HERE
[700x465] [250x208]His sexy, melting voice and come-to-bed eyes have millions of women saying “yes, please”! Michael Bublé, 31, talks to Karla Napoleon about love, his family and eating tacos at the Golden Globes
Michael on his quest for success
I would have gone on TV's Pop Idol. I would have done anything to make it. I was on the club circuit for ten years and on the verge of giving up, but I learnt my craft. On shows like that, you take these kids from high school and, all of a sudden, they're stars. I failed for ten years and learnt from my mistakes. I really feel for the kids on those shows sometimes because they have such high expectations.
Michael on his lifestyle
I don't live a celebrity lifestyle. If I have to go to a party or event, I do. It can be fun, but I would rather have a bite to eat, a couple of glasses of nice wine and go home and play a game or two of Scrabble. I never want to make the mistake of confusing who I am with what I do. In this business, it's so easy to believe in your own hype; I don't want that.
Michael on his song's appeal
The songs I sing are universally loved and transcend all borders. The cool thing about my fans is they're young and old, gay and straight, black and white. At my shows, I see a group of bikers and then groups of women on a girls' night out and everyone's just singing along. I think that's a testament more to the music than it is to me.
Michael on meeting girls
One of the reasons I started singing was so I could meet girls. I wasn't a dork at school, but I was just as insecure as any other boy. Obviously I loved music, but it was a factor. I think that's why men hunger for power, as with it comes better odds of meeting the person you love. I now know the only thing that fame does for you is it keeps you from standing alone like a lemon at a party.
I've got two younger sisters, but I don't have a huge number of female friends. It's hard to be friends with a woman if you find her attractive.
What do I look for in a woman?
I like them to be kind and it's a bonus if they have the ability to love me unconditionally as I'm not the easiest guy to live with.
What makes me difficult to live with?
I'm a man – everything.
What don't I like?
Neediness. Too much insecurity. Or even too much security.
My perfect date
You'll be disappointed. It would be waking up and having a hamburger, then going out to play hockey, coming back and watching some hockey, then playing some video games. I said you'd be disappointed!
I'm not extravagant. I like good food, but I'm not into luxuries. I lose everything. Don't buy me a nice watch because it'll be gone in two days. I don't have a car; I rent a truck when I go home for $25 a day. And when it's a nice day, I also love buzzing around on my Vespa.
What's on my iPod?
The best of 85, 86, 87… I love '80s pop music. When I first heard Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Thriller albums, I thought they were the greatest things that ever happened. I love all music. Of course, I like Sinatra and Tony Bennett, but I also love Coldplay, Oasis, Linkin Park and Jamie Cullen and I think Mika's great.
Michael on clothes
I'm a jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap sorta guy, but I like to make an effort for my shows. I've been to so many concerts where the acts show up looking like they just woke up. It reeks of insecurity. I think to myself, “Wow, you tried hard to look cool”. What's wrong with looking nice?
Michael on his high points
Two of the high points of my life were when I won four Junos, the Canadian music awards, in 2006 and when Emily [Blunt] won a Golden Globe. It was funny, because when I won, I was so overwhelmed and Emily was jumping around me in excitement. And when she won the Globe, we reversed roles. I was going crazy. I managed to completely and utterly enjoy the moment because it was about her.
To celebrate, we bought 20 tacos from a taco place in LA and just sat there, in all our finery, eating $11 worth of food. And at Taco Time that's a whole lot of money to spend.
One day, I know I'll look back and wish I'd enjoyed it a
Саундтрэк к кинофильму Spiderman.
Забавно, фильм не смотрела, но песню слушала и смотрела много раз
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
З.Ы. Ууу, как девки кричат
Моя A song for you...............
Michael Buble in Chicago
Надо же!
Была в кино пару дней назад и крутили рекламу новой романтической комедии Вкус жизни (No reservations).
Даже не подозревала, что Sway в исполнении Майкла входит в саундтрэк к этому фильму! Супер! Я его как раз хотела посмотреть
оффициальный сайт
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