Buble: No romance with Kristine, only friendship

It’s about time.

After the smashing success of his self-titled debut album, the newly-anointed King of Swing, Michael Bublé, is now bubbling with excitement over the release of his much-awaited follow-up, It’s Time, distributed locally by Warner Music.

"Are you in Manila? How is beautiful Manila?," he blurted out during a short phone chat arranged by Warner in conjunction with his ongoing worldwide promo tour. Missing what he calls his second home, the suave crooner proudly declared, "You know what’s neat for me now? I can spot a Filipino anywhere in the world!"

"Just this afternoon, here in London, a waitress came up to me and said, "Hello, sirrr!" And I know that sound — that Filipino accent. And she said, "Do you want your bill?," to which I replied, "Bahala na." And she laughed. "How did you know?!?" she asked. "It’s just kinda cool to have that connection with Filipinos all over the world! It’s really neat!"

The affinity isn’t surprising. After all, Michael has basked in Manila’s sunny climes long enough (September 2003 and late January 2004) to soak up a few Tagalog catchphrases and dance the otso-otso.

Shortly after his last trip here, Michael even created a buzz in the showbiz grapevine when word got around about his seeming closeness with Kristine Hermosa. Asked to comment, Michael nonchalantly replied, "What do I have to say about her? I’m a friend and a fan, but there was never a romance. There was never a sexual romance, I can promise you, as much as I probably would’ve loved that, or any boy would, for that matter. I think she’s a class act. It’s hard, you know, because she’s a celebrity there and people have their own ideas about her and this or that, but she was never anything but kind, and sweet and classy, and whoever ends up with her is gonna be a very lucky boy."

When Martin Nievera’s name popped up, Michael was all praises for the concert king. "Aaahh, I like him very much!," he exclaimed. "I think he’s great! Nievera, right?

Great guy, great entertainer! He’s doing well in America too, right? Yeah, I’ve seen him in Vegas. Man, it was crazy! His face was everywhere!"

With the whole world now eagerly awaiting his next move, Michael seemed a bit jittery about all expectations hurled at him by his growing legions of fans — and critics.

"All of a sudden, the pressure’s on me," he confesses. "The second record is the most important. It’s make or break. I’m really grateful and look forward to the responsibility that comes with carrying on this tradition."

"And I knew that this thing needed to be better than the first, and there is just no way around that. So, I took control," he adds.

For such an ambitious project, Michael sat down with producer/mentor David Foster and rounded up none but the best hired guns in the business. "I assembled some of the greatest musicians in the world," boasts the Vancouver native, "from the guys who play in my band, to people like John Clayton, Jr. who wrote a lot of the arrangements, to a drummer like Jeff Hamilton, Christian McBride on bass, Randy Waldman on piano. Man, these guys are killers! Really heavy guys!"

No anointment in the jazz/swing scene could better be validated by the mere mention of one name in an album’s liner notes: Jazz legend/producer Tommy LiPuma. Of this move, Michael explains, "I wanted to know what it was like to work with another producer, in another kind of style."

Asked to compare Foster’s style with LiPuma’s, Michael says, "Tommy almost drove me nuts because he’s so much of a perfectionist. But if there’s a little mistake in a song, if the energy is there and it’s swinging like crazy and feels good, he’ll keep it. David, on the other hand, can be too slick for comfort. I wouldn’t allow that. I want it a little bit edgy — a bit more like what I am. I’m not perfect, I’m not slick."

Closer scrutiny of the album’s liner notes revealed even bigger names that missed mention during the short chat. Fusion fans and players, take heed: Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Brian Bromberg on bass, Dean Parks and Anthony Wilson on guitar complete the stellar roundup.

For those who don’t know who Colaiuta is, he’s the guy who’s laid down killer grooves for such artists as Frank Zappa, Sting, Allan Holdsworth, Robben Ford, and countless other pop recording dates. On It’s Time, keep track of his fancy shuffles and brushwork. No wonder Buble’s album swings!

It’s Time also highlights Michael’s first crack at songwriting. The carrier single, Home, hints at a rustic, almost country-ish vibe — a rather subtle foray into completely new musical territory.

"It just shows that I will not be categorized," he elaborates. "I’ve written so many songs over the years, and this one seemed to fit the record. I was influenced by everybody from the Beastie Boys to Aerosmith to Bryan Adams. Of course, there’s Sinatra, Presley, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald too. So, I don’t write in just one style."

But lest he became too self-indulgent, Michael was careful enough to keep the respect for his audience and fans. "David told me, ‘You know, I’m proud of you because it’s tough to have self-control and to not put on a whole bunch of your original songs. I’m proud of you for not forgetting who you are and what got you here.’"

Like a proud father, Michael rambled on eagerly about his new ‘baby.’ "I think it shows maturity," he says. "And it’s a much better representation of who I am. With such songs as The More I See You, the Nina Simone standard, Feeling Good, Marvin Gaye’s classic How Sweet It Is, the Italian pop staple Quando, Quando, Quando, Leon Russell’s Song for You and the anthemic Save The Last Dance For Me, instead of just doing a recreation, I wanted to do a reinvention. I wanted to give it a rebirth, and make it totally mine."

With its sense of swing sublime, It’s Time clearly captures Michael at his prime.