Not afraid to wear pink, Matt Dusk has it goin' on (photos)

Snappy suit?

Check.

Stellar set of chops?

Check.

Dashing good looks?

Check.

Hordes of adoring female fans?

Check.

The respect of his peers?

Check.

It's official. Matt Dusk has it goin' on.

From factory worker to fan of house music, Canadian crooner Matt Dusk never anticipated the career of jazz singer that awaited him.

He began singing at a young age, attending Toronto's St. Michael's Choir School until the age of 17, and relished the attention he got while singing karaoke.

"Jazz was one of those things that found me," Dusk told me Tuesday afternoon prior to his Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre performance.

Once introduced to jazz, he couldn't help but be drawn into the sophisticated confidence that embodies the genre.

Taking cues from classic style cats like Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra, it didn't take long for him to get comfortable.

"Being suave is not difficult to do," he said.

And being suave has paid off for the 29 year-old songster.

Dusk holds the honour of being the first jazz artist to ever reach No.1 on the Japanese pop charts with his original composition, Back In Town.

He has been named one of the most eligible bachelors in Canada.

This past November it was announced that Dusk was partnering with Pal Zileri clothing as part of a sponsorship deal, making him the new face of the Italian men's fashion house.

And in December of 2006 while in L.A. recording two tracks for the US release of his album Back In Town, Dusk finally met, hung out with and performed with his Vancouver counterpart Michael Buble.

When asked if there were any plans in the works for the two to work together, he confidently replied, "Buble will happen. If I want something to happen, it will happen. It just takes time."

Until then, he refuses to sweat the small stuff and will continue to carve his own niche in the classic genre simply for the love of his craft.

"As wonderful as the standards are, we have to move the genre forward," he said.

Dusk is currently in the midst of A Canadian Christmas, a 12-date tour with the Juno-nominated 2004 Canadian Idol runner-up, Theresa Sokyrka.

Their Tuesday night performance at the Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre was well received by the largely female audience.

Sokyrka opened with a sweetly sung folk-infused set of originals and Christmas standards, including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, What Are You Doing New Years Eve? and Let It Snow.

The definite standout number from her six-song performance was her own Your is Yours from her 2006 release Something is Expected.

As the lights dimmed and the band began Jingle Bells, the slightly confused Sault audience had no idea where Dusk's resonating voice was coming from until a spotlight revealed his location, strutting and dancing his way up the centre aisle to the stage.

Not afraid to wear pink and looking completely confident on stage, Dusk delivered a sophisticated and passionate performance interjected with moments of sharp wit.

While he has the chops to croon with the best of them, he respectfully allows the song itself to take centre stage, never going over the top like most vocalists today.

Highlights from the evening included The Way You Look Tonight, Get Me To The Church On Time, Dig That Crazy Santa Claus, Cab Calloway's Minnie The Moocher, Paul Anka's Eso Beso (That Kiss!), the Bono/The Edge composition Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad and his own Back In Town.

I am finding it impossible to get that last one out of my head.

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