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Matt Dusk

Go big or go home. That might’ve been Matt Dusk’s mantra as he contemplated the making of his second album, Back in Town.. With impeccable taste to match his formidable talent, Dusk knows that style and sophistication•in everything from song selections and studio choices•are important factors that contribute to successful recordings.

The Toronto-born Matt Dusk will join Patrizio Buanne on his North American AEG Live tour this spring, which coincides with the Decca release of Dusk’s Back in Town on April 3rd. The 27-year-old crooner already had a sensational major-label debut under his belt with 2004’s Two Shots, which was partially recorded at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios with a 42-piece string section from the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

With Back in Town Dusk pulled out all the stops. He recorded much of the album in Los Angeles, at the fabled Capitol Studio in Studio A•where the walls have resonated with the voices of singers such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Ella Fitzgerald. Then, as if that magical setting wasn’t enough, several renowned arrangers including Patrick Williams and Sammy Nestico were brought in to provide original arrangements for classic numbers like “More” and “As Time Goes By.” On top of that, the legendary Al Schmitt, winner of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards, recorded and mixed all of the album’s big band tracks.

“I wanted this album to have the best of everything,” explains Dusk, who produced Back in Town with Terry Sawchuk. “We approached it like it’s our last big record, with the best arrangers, best musicians and best studios. We didn’t want there to be any regrets or excuses in the future!”

Indeed, Back in Town has all the ingredients to catapult the Juno Award nominated singer well into the pop stratosphere: timeless songs, stylish arrangements, cutting-edge production and powerhouse vocals. Quite simply, Dusk has never sounded better, and it’s the album’s combination of classic and original songs that has clearly brought out the best in him. Along with big-band material, drawn from the American Songbook, Back in Town features such contemporary pop numbers as the inspirational “All About Me” and the forceful title track. Both were given the chart-topping treatment from Chris Lord-Alge; one of the world’s best mixing engineers with credits ranging from Madonna to Green Day.

“Chris has a way of finding these frequencies that make your speakers blow up,” says Dusk. “But his mother was a jazz singer, so he understands that genre too. After I heard Chris’ first mix I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is huge.’ I knew immediately that he’d found the sound both Terry and I were looking for that was radio compatible.”

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