Singer-songwriter Peter Cincotti chatted about his new album “Killer on the Keys,” and his decision to cover Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”
On the song selection process for the new album, Cincotti said, “I’ve had so many musical influences in my life I wanted to make an album that brings them all together and also tells select personal stories of life.”
“This album covers the wide range of piano icons spanning generations and genres,” he said. “Some song choices were obvious to me from the start, and others came out of nowhere as the record began to form. I wanted to fill in the gaps between rock, jazz, and pop and combine influences that you wouldn’t normally think of in the same sentence.”
“Bill Evans was huge inspiration and influenced the piano introduction to my arrangement of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. Bruce Hornsby style influenced my approach John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’. It was fulfilling to fill in the gaps between these artists,” he elaborated.
When asked about his personal favorite song on there, he responded, “It’s always hard to choose. If I had to pick one it might be ‘Roll Alone’ because the story is about being a musician and life on the road, which I know something about.”
He opened up about choosing to cover Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” for the album. “Though many people think of the song as the dance pop hit it was, the framework of it has depth and the potential for a lots of musicality,” he said.
“When I was listening to Lady Gaga’s version, I kept hearing these openings in the music. It was an exciting challenge to try to color in those invisible spaces. I went through a McCoy Tyner phase when I was in high school and I feel like his influence somehow slipped in to this arrangement as well.”
He also discussed producing this album himself vs. having a producer. “I’ve been producing my own songs for a while now and it’s totally different,” he said.
“For me, production and the sound of the record, has gotten closer and closer to the songwriting process, almost melding into one thing at this point. The content of the song and the delivery of the song are equally important and they affect each other in endless ways.”
He continued, “I have a small group of collaborators that I respect greatly from the legendary lyricist John Bettis to the hit songwriter Victoria Shaw to sonic genius and producer Jochem van der Saag to the brilliant writer and arranger Rob Mathes, world class mixer Kevin Killen, all who are a part of this record.”
“Also, the incredible musicians who played on the record including Joe Nero, Lex Sadler, Tony Glausi, Scott Kreitzer, Obed Calviare, Peter Rodriguez, and more. So the point is, I’m not alone,” he added.
He is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album. “I can’t believe it,” he exclaimed. “This new album encompasses elements from all of my albums and in some ways connects the dotted line of my discography to date.”
“My first record came out in 2003, and since then I’ve made a variety of different sounding records through the years, one born out of the other, but none the same. ‘Killer On The Keys’ unifies that diversity with the only instrument that can: the piano,” he said.
On being an artist in the digital age, now with technology, social media, and streaming being so prevalent, he said, “It’s exciting, it’s hard, it’s full of opportunity, and it’s changing so fast that by the end of this interview the rules will be different.”
His favorite motto to live by is the following quote by Marcus Aurelius: “Love the hand fate deals you and play it as your own.”
For listeners and fans, he concluded about the new album, “I hope this album takes them on a ride from the hands of my idols, through the keys of my life, to the heart of your listeners.”
To learn more about singer-songwriter Peter Cincotti, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram.
