Superb original material, well-chosen covers, inspired backup and production, and some of Rod Stewart‘s most heartfelt vocals to date make A Night on the Town one of the year’s best releases. Though three of the tunes on side two garner merely satisfactory readings, the singer finds an excellent vehicle in Manfred Mann’s vintage “Pretty Flamingo” and shows off his rock pyrotechnics on the original “The Balltrap.” Featuring the artist’s evocative “The Killing of Georgie,” two fine self-penned love ballads and a soulful rendition of Cat Stevens’s “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” the flip side deserves to be minted in gold.