"I put pressure on myself," Buble said about the making of his latest album "Call Me Irresponsible." "I was treading a real fine line. I wanted to show growth as an artist, even for my own sanity. At the same time, I didn't want to alienate 11 million or so people who bought the record the first time. I didn't want to make the easy choices, if that makes any sense. I wanted to do songs because they were right. Not because it was the easiest or the simple thing to do."

That challenge also arose when Buble filled in as a last-minute substitute for Tony Bennett on "American Idol" earlier this year, after the legendary singer came down with the flu.

"Now that was terrifying," he said. "It wasn't the most perfect situation for an entertainer to be in. To step in for Tony Bennett is an impossible feat. It's funny; people said, 'Oh you looked loose.'... What I do is a loose thing. The style of music I sing, it's about hearing the lyric and enjoying yourself. It's not a show-stopping, 'American Idol-esque' number.

"You see these kids, and if they do a performance of one of these songs and they do it at a club or a theater, they would probably look over the top. On 'American Idol' it's perfect. It's about vocal gymnastics ... and not much about telling the story."

Buble talked to LiveDaily about "Call Me Irresponsible," working with rock producer Bob Rock, and more.

LiveDaily: How do you go about choosing your songs? There's such a wealth of material out there.

Michael Buble: With great difficulty. It's hard to say. More than anything, it's an instinctual thing. I think it's a gut feeling, knowing if a song is ready to be done--if it had enough time to live and then to be interpreted. I wanted to take songs and take them into my world. I didn't want to just do an ode to the song. I want to kind of make it my own--without turning it into bad lounge music, because it's pretty easy to do.

Do you come up with a list of potential songs, or is that what the producer does?

I think in maybe some cases, that's what a producer does. In my relationship with the producers, I come up with the songs and the concepts. With a lot of the concepts, I come in and say, "I want to do this song, Eric Clapton's ‘Wonderful Tonight,' and I'd love to do it with Ivan Lins because I'm a big fan of [his] records. I think that this song can be taken there, and it can be really tasty and beautiful." Or, with "That's Life," I came to the producer and said, "Here's a song I've always liked. I've been a big fan of Donny Hathaway my whole life and I would love to take this song to church and fuse it with that great gospel R&B feel." I can go on and on and on [about] each song. I spend a lot of time thinking about it. I think what happens is, you think about it so much and you live with these ideas, then, all of a sudden, you start to second guess yourself. So you show up to the recording studio and think, "Is it just me who loves it, or is this going to be loved?"

How did you hook up with Boyz II Men for "Comin' Home Baby"?

The same idea. I was a big fan of this Mel Torme song "Comin' Home Baby," and, every time I heard it, I wanted to do it. The only group I conceived of was Boyz II Men. I figured they'd be a perfect match. They're cool and retro in so many ways. They were a big influence on me as a kid. They were a huge group. I liked a lot of their songs. I knew they were still working and stuff. The first call I made on the record was to call them and ask them if they would do a duet with me.

They must have been thrilled.

They're really nice guys. I had been in touch with Shawn [Stockman of Boyz II Men] before we had even started. We were just kind of fans of each other. We sent e-mails to each other. You know, "Your stuff is great."

How was it to work with producer Bob Rock? He's known for working with the likes of Metallica.

Why, he's one of the greatest jazz players that ever lived! [Laughs] No, I'm kidding. Bob is managed by Bruce Allen, who also manages Michael Buble. (I hate talking about myself in the third person. I just did it to be funny. [Laughs]) It was kind of cool. I've known Bob for a couple years. I just think he's a super guy. Of course, I love a lot of stuff he had done. So I'd written this song "Everything." I figured he'd give it this cool, laid back, not as produced--an edgier thing, very acoustic thing. He's a nice man and we're friends. We had a really great time working together. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that the single has worked. He took a risk working with me and likewise, and it's so cool when it comes out like this and you know your instinct was right.

What did you learn from your primary producer, David Foster?

The enemy of good is great. Truly, I've learned I really want to hold a higher standard for myself and for my music, and for what I do professionally. It's easy to be good and hard to be great. You find with anyone, there's a lot of things you learn positively and a lot of negative things you learn, too. That's what you get by being with people. You can never learn enough.

What can we expect from your concert tour this time around?

Always expect the unexpected. First and foremost: This is a show not a concert. That's the most important thing to me. I'm so bored of these concerts. I keep going to these concerts and I wonder why I didn't stay home and listen to their CD. It's nothing different. I love the fact that entertaining people is a lost art. I have a very small responsibility. People pay money to see me, and I'm to take them away for a couple hours. If I can think about it like that, I can really enjoy myself. I love the organic thing that happens in the relationship I get to have with that audience. It's a very personal kind of intimate thing. Even if I'm playing in an arena. I think every night has to be special. I don't think you can ever just throw a night away. Or sing a song and just throw it away. Every night, these people should know they're seeing something they're not going to see any other time. I change up my show a lot--not always in the set list, but in the things I do or say or certain songs I just break into. I love what I do. I love to have fun like that.

How do you go about making it more of a performance than a concert?

I think there's a lot of different things that go into that. Firstly, give them some nice production. The only thing that makes anyone's show different than anyone else is the relationship they have with the audience ... their comfort level [and] how much fun the person's actually having. Because, you know, it's catchy, very catchy, when you see someone on stage and they look like they're happy to be there ... and they're comfortable and taking the piss out of themselves and laughing. I think that that takes it to another level, when you can allow yourself to really, really, actually, sincerely enjoy yourself.

Why did you decide to name your album "Call Me Irresponsible"?

Because I am irresponsible, and because I love the song. I think being irresponsible can be kind of a cool thing. Just to fall in love it takes being a little irresponsible, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.