Any Michael Bub'le fans.......

Thanks Tom - what is that last one called?

Yes, very Frank Sinatra sound but better in the voice and great timing too with a nicer intimacy. Bubl'e got me interested in wanting to explore more of that big band sound so I picked up a Bobby Darren CD.....dreadful in comparison.
Diana Krall - now there's one that has me stumped. After I started getting into audio (in the last few months) I saw a lot of people on here talking about her. I bought some of her stuff - nicely recorded and good mellow music but I am struggling to see what the big deal is. The music is good but she really isn't that strong on the vocals, smooth to go with that sound yes, but to get to that level I just don't understand it. Maybe I just need more time and maybe a more open mind. Nora Jones is another one I picked up. First album I heard I liked but when you have heard one you have heard them all - very monotonous and yawn inducing. I consider myself pretty open-minded with my music but am also pretty critical....and curious, so I will check out Jane Monheit.
If you like Diana Krall you will probably like a lot of the Brazilian bossanova genre with that sophisticated sexy rhythm that only and nice light percussion that this country is famous for. Actually Michael Bubl'e has some of this on his albums, even sings in Portuguese.

Have a great Xmas Tom

I to, when I first heard him thought "who is this Sinatra wannabe". Listened a bit more and I thought wow, maybe he is but you can't take it away from the guy. Sure Sinatra may be a huge legend but does that mean someone following him has to have less talent? Bubl'e surely did have the groundwork already laid out for him but he is a class act, more intimate than Sinatra, as good a voice and uses it perfectly. I knew a lot of the older folk on here would shudder at the thought that someone could be better than the guy they loved in their day but take away the "legend factor" and the truth becomes more clear. This same group would also say that Bobby Darren was a god. Pop in one of his CDs beside Bubl'e and see how red your face goes. I also expected a lot of the guys not to like him.........because all the ladies do.

Someone mentioned Nora Jones - a lot of fans on this site. Nice music, but when you have heard one you have heard them all. I bought my first Nora Jones recently and immediately went out and bought more - I thought I was listening to the same CD all over again. I have been delving into this genre a bit lately and the amount of Nora Jones wannabes out there...oh my.

Someone also insinuated that nobody is better than Elvis - same thing. Pick up anything from Jacky Wilson, better still, listen to Reet Petite (Wilson). Same style as Elvis. Ignore the legend factor and decide who just won Audiogon's Got Talent. It's a no brainer. Artists are like gear, or olympic athletes, someone is always going to come along and better what came before them. Yes, I was repulsed a bit when I heard my first Michael Bubl'e CD but after a few more listens I couldn't deny it, the guy is great. I actually had a little listening session with just Sinatra and Bubl'e with an open mind, sorry, Bubl'e came out tops.
One poster above said "there was but one Sinatra, now lets move on"
OK, Sinatra was god and there will never be another talent come along that can better him......there was only one Mark Spitz, now lets move on.

I thought talent had something to do with it. Willam Hung is an artist...does he have talent?

Thanks Tom, I will grab that and the Robbie Williams right after the holidays. I love to buy stuff I am not familiar with even though I end up not liking 70% of it, but the gems I do stumble across keep me happy for years and sometimes after a while I pop in some of the stuff I didn't like and surprise, surprise. Being open-minded is the big secret. It is important to experiment or you never know what you are missing. Previous to having my system (only a few months now) I was heavily into electronica, underground hip-hop, various rock and a bunch of alternative stuff (Tom Waits etc) it's all good though. I rarely listen to any of my previous tastes lately as the quality of the recordings have a big impact on my listening enjoyment. These days I am after well recorded music that I can get into and lucky enough I enjoy a whole range of stuff and the chase is as good as the kill.

Hey Tom, have you been reading my diary? (hehe). Can't believe you just said that - Peter Cincotti is playing this minute on my system!!!!....right as you sent this post off.
Never heard of the guy but picked up "East of Angel Town" on a whim a couple of weeks back and this fell way into the 30% of the stuff I ended up liking a lot. Great songs and done well and avoids the cheese factor. I intend getting more of his stuff on my next raid of the record store.
Now Michael Ball - was that the guy who used to sing in a bunch of west end type musicals etc, I am sure he is British. If so, back in the day when I lived in Ireland (I am Irish) he was a big name and could really yodel. Very good looking guy in those days too. Anyway, we used to have a weekly TV show called "Jim will Fix It" and the idea was that, say if you had always wanted to fly a plane, have dinner with a rock-star or whatever you could write in and Jim would try to fix it. Anyway, this nurse who worked in emergency wrote in saying she would love to meet Michael Ball. Jim set it up. He had Michael all bandaged up head to foot and he was rushed into the emergency room and the nurse proceeded to unwrap the bandages from his face - she nearly fainted. Very good set-up.
Anyway, I think you and me are on the same wavelength, so keep the recommendations coming.