East of Angel Town  - Released 2007 - 7.5

Imagine an early day Billy Joel mixed with a mid-term Elton John and a sprinkling of Jamie Cullum and you get some idea of just how good this album is. New York features large in these songs and somehow Cincotti has managed to conjure up the feeling of the Big Apple with a sassy collection of places and people. To me this was one of the surprise albums of 2007. It wouldn't normally be my kind of thing but Cincotti has come up with a wonderful album almost from the old school of American singer-songwriters. Songs of love, circuses, places and times, it is a top notch collection that crosses over from the purely jazz genre into a mix of rock and folk with sax and piano combining on so many of the tracks. Virtually ever line is a gem and sets Cincotti up as one of the best of the new American breed. An added bonus comes in the shape of the wonderful final track "The Country Life" - the most romantic song of 2007. It should be played over and over again.