As I look back, I understand what [the record company] was getting at. They were trying to market a record and make it as commercially acceptable as possible. It hurt me and my credibility with critics.

I'm not a jazz musician, because, I mean, firstly, I can't play anything. I'm not bad on the tamborine. I have a certain way with the triangle. But I'm not a jazz musician ... my band, they always joke, they always say that I'm a disposable, pop, jazz superstar.

I met the [Frank] Sinatra family for a [performance] I did for his hundredth birthday and one of the first things Sinatra's daughters said to me was, "I'm so glad you make your own beautiful arrangements now."

A lot of artists talk about getting out of their comfort zones and being the most proud of their newest album. But it is true for me. I rethought a lot of what I do.

It's human nature and one day maybe 20 years from now some young kid will come up and people will tell him "my God, you are like a young Michael Bublé. It happened to Harry Connick Jr with the Sinatra thing and now people are saying to me that I am the new Harry Connick Jr. It is a natural thing. I remember hearing interviews with Harry Connick saying "I am not Sinatra, leave me alone, I am different". It's a small thing to deal with.

It's all about love. We're either in love, dreaming about love, recovering from it, wishing for it or reflecting on it. That's what this record [Call Me Irresponsible] is about.

There was something that was very manly about having the strength and having the courage to sing about love and romance. And I don't know what happened in our world where that was turned into being soft, because I don't think it's soft at all.