John Ambrosini is a jazz pianist, pop-inspired singer, composer, and bandleader who is quite active in the New York City area. Here we find him providing versions of some of his favourite pop and rock classics, along with two originals. Although most of these are the sort of middle of the road numbers one would expect on an album like this, I must admit to being somewhat surprised to find a delicate rendition of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” among them. This is a pleasant release, and I can imagine that if I was at one of John’s shows I would probably purchase a CD to relive the experience, but when listening to an album “cold” as it were, one must ask if anything is being added to the originals?
The short answer is no, and I would much rather listen to the originals of the like of “Pretzel Logic” and “Rocket Man”, and it takes some nerve to cover “New York State of Mind” when that is very much Billy Joel’s hometown – doesn’t help that there is a duff vocal note in the second verse. I would much rather have heard far more originals, as he has a lovely touch on piano and a nice voice, and while he obviously felt a need to pay homage to those who inspired him, he has missed a trick with this.
Rating: 6/10
