Peter Cincotti
On the Moon
(Concord)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2004, Volume 11, #11
Written by John Metzger
There’s little doubt that Peter Cincotti is a talented pianist, and any
notion to the contrary quickly will be dispelled by his whimsical interpretation
of Ray Noble’s Cherokee or the sprightly and imaginative solo he delivers
on a cover of Cole Porter’s I Love Paris. He also isn’t afraid to take a
few risks, delightfully submersing William Handy’s St. Louis Blues in a
funky, hip-hop-inflected groove and turning Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Bali Ha’i
into a percolating, Steely Dan-inspired, jazz-blues romp. The problems with his
sophomore effort On the Moon, however, lie with Cincotti’s vocals as well
as his desire to venture into more pop-oriented fare. At the age of 21, he
simply lacks the maturity and experience to convey much emotional resonance, and
while his voice is smooth and graceful, there’s little substance behind it.
Making matters worse are some of the lightweight arrangements employed on the
set, such as the Elton John-meets-Disney preciousness of the title track and the
airy softness brought to bear on the Gerry Goffin/Carole King-penned
compositions Some Kind of Wonderful and Up on the Roof. At his
best, Cincotti is a fusion of the styles of Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Darin, and
Ray Charles, but unfortunately, his desire for massive mainstream acceptance
causes him to slip into territory that is closer in spirit to Paul Anka or, even
worse, Barry Manilow. 
½
On the Moon is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box