“I called the album Satisfied Mind because it's the first time a collection of songs truly sounds like me”, New York-based singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen has said of his tenth album as leader. "I love a good song and a great solo, but there are also moments on this record that are full of surprises. Plus, having my heroes like Ron [Carter], Pino [Palladino] and Rob [Thomas] come and leave it all on the mat – well, that's the icing on the cake".

You might want to take issue with Regen's mixing of metaphors – can we be clear where it is exactly: is it on the mat or on the cake, and if it's the mat, is it still advisable to tuck into the icing? – but he's right that he's come up with an engaging set of tunes, embellished by some great guest performances.

It kicks off with ‘Nobody But You’, which has an attitude and swagger that have something, as Regen says, in common with ‘Walk on the Wild Side’. ‘Hello, Old Friend’ throws out another line to Lou Reed, this time to his and John Cale's ‘Hello It's Me’ from their Songs for Drella, not to mention Bruce Springsteen's ‘One Minute You’re Here’. (That's intended as high praise, if you’re wondering.)

Regen has been acclaimed in the past as a ‘gifted purveyor of sophisticated uptown pop’, and there are certainly helpings of that here, alongside a series of (largely) instrumental tracks such as ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘Gino’ that see Regen exploring more contemplative modes.

His words and delivery remain sharp, melding humour and feeling, and the production by Matt Johnson of Jamiroquai means that the sound generously encompasses everything from jazz to ambient and electronica.