Cincotti started writing new songs in earnest while touring behind On the Moon. The witty, journalistic cuts on East of Angel Town recall vintage Steely Dan and The Stranger-era Billy Joel. Cincotti's eye for detail is particularly crisp on "Angel Town": Mazy checks her cell phone for the 32nd time/Slips into her Jimmy Choo's/Perfect pink three-quarter skirt and lilac leather purse/She's a page from W."
As he sings of superficial lives, broken dreams and love's afterglow, Cincotti is specific about scenery.
"There are a lot of location references in the record," says the artist, 25. "The title kinda summed it up. The location just colored the songs. The specifics lend themselves to the bigger themes of the songs."
Cincotti is most impressive when he's crooning ballads. The jazz-kissed "Man on a Mission" is a warm standout, and "Lay Your Body Down (Goodbye Philadelphia)" is a climactic ballad worthy of Elton John. But as the lyrics look to soft-rock's past for inspiration, the music is thoroughly modern, glossy and sprawling. Rock guitar screams on the urbane up-tempo cuts, and Cincotti's percussive piano anchors the ballads and midtempo numbers. The styles and colors vary throughout East of Angel Town. The album tends to meander, especially toward the end. But Cincotti always sounds comfortable in the new musical settings.
With his classic matinee-idol looks and new edgy sound, he seems poised for pop stardom. But the artist maintains a jazz man's attitude: It's all the music.
"I'm just gonna keep doing the music. The way it gets out there and the way it gets promoted - that's Warner Bros.' job," Cincotti says. "My job is to write and sing and hopefully everything else is in line with that."
if you go
See Peter Cincotti at 8 tonight at Rams Head Tavern, 33 West St. in Annapolis. Tickets are $35. Call 410-268-4545 or go to ramsheadtavern.com.
