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Michael Buble |
Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting
touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native
into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists. His sophomore studio
follow-up largely turns on the same formula that helped make his
considerable vocal prowess so attractive to mainstream audiences, mixing the
nigh flawless, if expected Sinatra-channeling ("I've Got You Under My Skin")
with more playful and inviting renditions of pop standards like the
Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town," "Feeling Good," "Try A Little
Tenderness" and Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin." But it's the
eclectic mix of more contemporary material the singer seasons them with --
apt tribute to Bublé hero Bobby Darin -- that keeps him walking the narrow
tightrope between artistic intrigue (a blues-tinged vamp of
Holland-Dozier-Holland's "How Sweet It Is," Leon Russell's lovely "Song For
You," with a guest turn by Chris Botti) and the kitsch-laden abyss ("Quando,
Quando, Quando"'s Euro-centric duet with Nelly Furtado, a ring-a-ding-fling
with the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" that echoes fellow Canadian
crooner/rival Matt Dusk's more successful flirtation with Lennon-McCartney).
Arranger/producer Tommy LiPuma offers Bublé a welcome swinging jazz showcase
on "The More I See of You," a bracing respite from the rest of producer
David Foster's slick, if typically bloodless MOR production. -- Jerry
McCulley |
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Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim |
Originally released in March 1964, this collaboration between
saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist João Gilberto came at seemingly the end
of the bossa nova craze Getz himself had sparked in 1962 with Jazz Samba,
his release with American guitarist Charlie Byrd. Jazz Samba remains the
only jazz album to reach number one in the pop charts. In fact, the story
goes that Getz had to push for the release of Getz/Gilberto since the
company did not want to compete with its own hit; it was a good thing he
did. Getz/Gilberto, which featured composer Antonio Carlos Jobim on piano,
not only yielded the hit "Girl from Ipanema" (sung by Astrud Gilberto, the
guitarist's wife, who had no professional experience) but also "Corcovado"
("Quiet Night")--an instant standard, and the definitive version of "Desafinado."
Getz/Gilberto spent 96 weeks in the charts and won four Grammys. It remains
one of those rare cases in popular music where commercial success matches
artistic merit. Bossa nova's "cool" aesthetic--with its understated rhythms,
rich harmonies, and slightly detached delivery--had been influenced, in
part, by cool jazz. Gilberto in particular was a Stan Getz fan. Getz, with
his lyricism, the bittersweet longing in his sound, and his restrained but
strong swing, was the perfect fit. His lines, at once decisive and
evanescent, focus the rest of the group's performance without overpowering.
A classic. --Fernando Gonzalez |
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Norah Jones |
It is not just the timbre of Norah Jones's
voice that is mature beyond her 22 years. Her assured phrasing and precise
time are more often found in older singers as well. She is instantly
recognizable, blending shades of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without
sounding like anyone but herself. Any way you slice it, she is a singer to
be reckoned with. Her readings of the Hank Williams classic "Cold Cold
Heart" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" alone are worth the
price of the CD. Jones's own material, while not bad, pales a bit next to
such masterpieces. They might have fared better had she and producer Arif
Mardin opted for some livelier arrangements, taking better advantage of
brilliant sidemen such as Bill Frisell, Kevin Breit, and Brian Blade; or if
the tunes had simply been given less laconic performances. Jones has all the
tools; what will come with experience and some careful listening to artists
like J.J. Cale and Shirley Horn is the knack of remaining low-key without
sounding sleepy--sometimes less is not, in fact, more. --Michael Ross |
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