John C. Reilly Announces New Album as Mister Romantic

There aren’t enough renaissance men in the world anymore, but actor, singer and bonafide Hollywood darling John C. Reilly remains one of the few. Over the years, Reilly has taken the stage with the likes of Beck and Sierra Ferrell, charting through genres like rap, showtunes and country. Today, he’s announced What’s Not to Love?, his debut album under the stage name Mister Romantic, due out June 13 via Eternal Magic Recordings. The project stems from the Mister Romantic shows that Reilly has been performing in Los Angeles, where he gives lounge singer color to his already-vaudevillian background. This ain’t your mother’s Dewey Cox. What’s Not to Love? is set to traipse through the Great American Songbook, through songs by Irving Berlin, Tom Waits and Louis Armstrong. Lead single “Dream” was made famous by Frank Sinatra once upon a time. Roy Orbison, too.

“I looked at our weary world a few years ago and tried to think of a way I could spread love and empathy,” Reilly says. “I decided the most fun way to do that was through performing and singing and telling people I loved them. So the emotional vaudeville show Mister Romantic was born, out of both hope and despair. What’s Not to Love? is a collection of songs from the show with some cinematic audio weaved in. They tell the story of an eternal optimist, Mister Romantic, as he looks for love. Each song moved me enough to want to share it with people and keep each one alive by passing it on like some of my favorite singers did in their time. The lyrics all have something deeply true about them. Someone once said “It’s better to light one tiny candle than to curse the darkness.” Well, this is our little candle in the darkness. We hope it reminds people that it’s good to love. I figured it was worth a try.”

Listen to “Dream” below.

What’s Not to Love? Artwork:

What’s Not to Love? Tracklist:
“Just Another Sucker on the Vine”
“Dream”
“La Vie En Rose”
“Johnsburg, Illinois”
“You Don’t Know Me”
“Falling in Love Again”
“I Guess I’ll Get the Papers and Go Home”
“Picture in a Frame”
“The Song is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On)”
“What’ll I Do?”
“Moonlight Serenade”
“I’ll Be Seeing You”
“What’s Not to Love?”