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Buble act comes to Packard for WCMA show

It will be the music of Michael Buble times three for the next Warren Civic Music Association concert.

Shades of Buble features three vocalists performing the songs of the retro-style crooner, whose catalog mixes originals with songs popularized by others.

Drew Pournelle, one of the three singers, said the show has been playing performing arts centers like Packard Music Hall, where it will be on April 13, and cruise ships, since it was created in 2015.

“They (the creators) had seen a lot of ‘Jersey Boys’-type groups and wanted to do something similar but with a different kind of concept that hadn’t been done before,” Pournelle said Monday during a telephone interview from a cruise ship. “Michael Buble was at the top, charting on the pop charts, and he sings such a wide variety.”

Pournelle comes from a theater background, appearing in national tours of “the Sound of Music” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” and he also toured as a member of The 12 Tenors. He said he was looking for something more stable than theater work.

“I thought it would be a good fit for me,” he said.

With three lead singers, Shades of Buble can take different approaches, depending on the song.

“Some are three-part arrangements with awesome jazz harmonies written by David Snyder, who’s done some incredible arrangements for us,” Pournelle said. “For some numbers in the show, there’s only one singer on stage or one singer singing lead with the other two singing back up.”

Pournelle said his big number is “You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Loves You.”

‘It’s almost a Broadway-style version of a big band arrangement with a big final sustain note,” he said. “It’s a little bit of the theater world I came from.”

Pournelle is joined by singers Adam Rennie and Nick Ziobro in Shades of Buble, and they will be backed by touring pianist / conductor Adam King and local musicians Jim “JR” Richley, drums; Warren Henry, bass; Robert Esterle, saxophone; and John English, trumpet.

The show’s repertoire include pop standards like “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “That’s Life” and “Mack the Knife” as well as more recent hits by The Eagles (“Heartache Tonight”), Van Morrison (“Crazy Love”) and Queen (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”).

“We have added a couple of new numbers over the years,” he said. “We’re always watching and if he has a big song charting or that goes viral, we definitely can switch in and out some songs. We also listen to what the audience tells us. For years, they would ask why we didn’t have the song ‘Sway.’ But it’s a lengthy process, getting the arrangements made and learning the choreography for it.”

Having sung Buble’s music for several years and studying him, Pournelle said he appreciates Buble’s talents singing live.

“He’s an amazing live entertainer and throws in a lot of stuff that is not on the albums,” he said. “We try to bring some of the spontaneity and the energy he has in his performance to ours.”

If you go …

WHAT: Warren Civic Music Association — Shades of Buble

WHEN: 7 p.m. April 13

WHERE: Packard Music Hall,1703 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren

HOW MUCH: Single tickets are $40 and are available at the Packard box office and through Ticketmaster.

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