Simple tunes and inventive lyrics, sung in a smoky, unpolished baritone, over blocky, mid-tempo piano chords will likely lead to a few Randy Newman comparisions — and that’s not a bad thing.
On his new CD “Stop Time, singer-songwriter Jon Regen — backed by Elvis Costello’s rhythm section of drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher — is less caustic and more innocent, with a sad-sack, sensitive approach to romance that ultimately gives his protagonists the edge over bad-boy suitors:
“I will wait for you,” he repeats on “I Will Wait,” over a waltz-time groove. On “Run To Me,” a non-threatening ballad, he again plays the stable, go-to guy: “When it’s late at night / and you’re not feeling right / and you don’t wanna fight / you can run to me.” He’s a steady presence in a shifting, adult-contemporary world.
Regen celebrates the release of “Stop Time” with a show at the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme on Friday, May 8, backed by bassist Richard Hammond and drummer Abe Fogle. Showtime is 8:30 p.m.; tickets are $35. Call 860-434-0886 or visit thesidedoorjazz.com for more information.
