Calling this a rock album doesn't really do it justice. It's equally blues, folk, country and pop – every style a professional bar singer has to pull off to earn a living. Guadagno is something of a legend on the New Jersey bar circuit, a grizzled troubadour who calls his brand of music "saloon songs." Though he's been around for years, this is his first solo release. In true bar-belter fashion, he covers his musical bases with everything from Tom Waits and Bob Dylan covers to Shel Silverstein and David Buskin. What sets him apart is his refusal to perform the covers in anything resembling their original style, and his effortless intuitiveness gives them new meanings.

Guadagno hits the Cadillac Lounge tonight (Thursday, June 9) at 9 pm.