Take one part Mark Murphy, a dash of Tom Waits, add some Bobby Troup, a hint of Michael Franks with a sprinkle of Dan Duryea, and you get the wonderful voice and songs of Mark Winkler. This latest addition to his highly recommended catalogue has him bringing his savvy lyrics to mostly original musical compositions with a mix and match team of the best LA has to offer. Rotating gents like David Benoit-Jon Mayer-Jamieson Trotter-Rich Eames/p, John Clayton-Gabe Davis/b, Christian Euman-Clayton Cameron/dr , Grant Geissman/g , percussionist Kevin Winard and a horn section with Bob Sheppard/ts-fl, Bob Swartz/tp and Nolan Shaheed/fh, Winkler weaves threads that range from a tragic “Before You Leave” to a luminous Broadway styled “I Always Had A Thing For You”. He can get hip with the best o the jiving “Late Blooming Jazzman” or take a trip to Noir Alley on “Marlena’s Memories” and the raspy “When All The Lights in the Sign Worked”. Some day, people will just sit back and analyze his lyrics such as on “If Gershwin Had Lived” , but until then, never miss a chance to see him when he delivers the goods in person. One of the real deals, still sitting at the poker table.