When I first caught wind of this gig I knew I just had to go. Jimmy Gnecco in the UK! Get it while you can I thought - there's no telling when he'll return to these shores from his American homeland. He's only playing three gigs on three consecutive nights in various venues around the capitol and he's here promoting the release of his solo album 'The Heart' which is his first record to be released in this country (and already reviewed by Über Röck here). It's true that it's also the first Jimmy Gnecco solo record anywhere but anyone who knows Jimmy knows that his band - Ours - haven't as yet released anything in this country at all.

I haven't been in the building for more than 10 minutes when the unmistakably svelte figure of Jimmy Gnecco takes the stage neatly dressed in a dark zipper jacket and jeans. The stage is dark. Very dark. Barely a light touches even the side of his face. And it's under these unassuming circumstances and without fanfare that Jimmy starts his acoustic set with an appropriate candle-lit eulogy entitled 'Rest Your Soul' which is also the first track from 'The Heart'. The haunting melody emanating from Gnecco spills out into the room like slowly approaching mist that immediately carries us aloft and transports us graveside where we stand quietly and respectfully as Jimmy laments the passing of another great soul.

Next up I have a head first initiation into the world of Jimmy Gnecco that his American fan base are so familiar with. It's the vast world of unreleased material that Jimmy has under his belt. 'The Bells' literally strikes me twice. The first half of the song is restrained and is in keeping with the essence of 'The Heart'. It has me scanning my memory banks trying to place this song while the second half has me reeling at the sheer power and vocal strength that the man onstage is pouring out. He revisits some earlier lines of the song injecting them this time around with a fervour and a higher intensity: "all the things you thought would come true, all the things you lost are going to, change yourself". This song is definitely not on 'The Heart' and does not belong there either. It's a blistering taste of things to come. The future of Ours.

Jimmy returns to his solo album for the rest of the set continuing on with 'Mystery' - a familiar tale of regret and lost love sung with a remarkably restrained melodic simplicity. In the future I wouldn't be surprised if I heard this eminently coverable song spring forth from the vocal chords of a Rufus Wainwright or a Sheryl Crow.

'Bring You Home' is the album's lead promo song and people already familiar with the video and the album surely are starting to clap along in their heads as the song progresses and gains momentum and I for one wish that I had a stomp box to accompany Jimmy with and I imagine myself getting up on stage and using that hollow platform as an ad hoc stomp box.

On one level 'Gravity' is the perfect rousing stadium anthem which, if the stars align, will surely see Jimmy headlining in the not too distant future. On a deeper lyrical level there's another world of imagery that the listener is free to interpret as they will. For my part I can't help thinking of Wim Wenders' 'Wings Of Desire' and the mythical imagery of angels who become human, mortal and blind to their true providence.

'The Heart' is a mystical far eastern sounding fever dream. It's a primal song. It speaks to the universal. It's Turkish, it's African, it's Indian, it's Romanian, it's all of these things without specifically being any one. The clapping of the audience follows Jimmy as he accelerates the tempo, the chord changes and the strumming. He lets loose a primal scream as the guitar comes to a halt and the voice carries on before it too gets scattered to the four winds.

And, unexpectedly, it's all over. That was the last song. The time has all been used up. I feel a bit like a slow learner here. Contrary to my own beliefs Jimmy isn't headlining here. He's part of a four act line-up. How can this be? I know that he's yet to build up the UK following that he deserves but come on!

I watch the next band set up their gear seemingly oblivious as to what has just gone on as I try and come to terms with what has just happened. What has just happened?

Jimmy hopes to return to the UK with his band sometime in the future and he will be making an imminent return to mainland Europe when he opens for A-ha in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland in October.

Jimmy releases 'The Heart' on the Bright Antenna label in the UK on October 18th 2010. It's available from all the major retailers.