Michael Buble poised for success with first CD

Michael Buble is poised for greatness with first CD
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published March 12, 2003

If the latest CDs from local artists Michael Buble and the Colorifics are any indicator, Burnaby is home to some of the most stylish musicians on the continent.
Buble's self-titled release on the Reprise Records label is a guaranteed must-have for anyone who considers themself a fan of the crooners, big bands and swing styles of yesteryear.
Michael Buble, the disc, starts out with the svelte, deep bass tones of Eddie Cooley and John Davenport's hit Fever and carries on through 13 tracks of the finest young voice this side of Frank Sinatra.
Buble is bound to make it big with this release. Produced by local industry phenom David Foster, the 24-year-old shows off a wide range of styles in this smartly packaged disc.
His rendition of Fever is lubricious - my favourite line is an understated 'thou givest fever.' His hip-swaying remake of Freddie Mercury's Crazy Little Thing Called Love shows that Buble is clearly staking out his territory in the future heart-throb aisle.
There's even a tribute to his executive producer, Paul Anka, with a remake of the one-time teen idol's version of Put your Head On My Shoulder.
Since the CD was released late last month, the 24-year-old has been on a whirlwind tour of the continent, appearing on a wide range of television shows including Canada AM and the Vicki Gabereau Show in Canada, plus Access Hollywood and Extra on the big American networks.
Expect big things from this impressive young man. He definitely has the talent, and, as the credits on his first major CD prove, he has done an outstanding job of surrounding himself with the very best names in the business.
Now if only The Colorifics could find an equally high-powered management team to get their musical careers on the same road.
When their CD release party was first mentioned in this newspaper, the group was referred to as "a dressed-up pop band."
Credit for that charming appellation rests with Annie Boulanger, the veteran arts columnist for the Burnaby NOW and the proud mother of band leader, guitarist and lead songwriter Bernie Boulanger.
Where There's Smoke is the second release from the Colorifics, a band that has been known around the Lower Mainland in several different incarnations for about a decade.
Lead singer Pasty Klein - yes, she insists that is her real name - belts it out like a seasoned veteran, and, while she certainly dresses the part in a svelte cocktail gown, her diminutive size make her stage presence a little less than desired.
That said, the lyrics are both charming and intelligent and one of the strongest features of this 12-track recording. And the music is polished and tightly played with the backing of bass guitarist Eric Napier and steady beat drummer John Rule.
My favourite track is Walking in the Shade, although it is tough to choose from a disc that varies from the syncopation of Hocus Pocus to the playful chorus of Come Sin With Me.
The band is in the process of starting up its own website at www.colorifics.ca.