If Alan Andrews strikes you as the quintessential New Yorker, he should. As a staple of the downtown Manhattan music scene, he's been described as acerbic, poetic, and neurotic.

But the roots of his sound stretch well beyond the city limits. Embracing an eclectic range of musical influences from places near and far, Andrews has emerged as "one of the most original voices" on today's scene.

The juxtaposition he's created- - a respect for all things musical, but an irreverence for everything else- - has earned him attention in the press and on radio.

Cuts from Andrews's self-titled debut CD have been heard on Vin Scelsa's WNEW program, "Idiot's Delight," and have been playing consistently on New York's WFUV, where DJ and assistant music director Meg Griffin voted it "the sixth best album of 1997."

"Cleaned And Pressed" is his second CD effort. He is teamed once again with production partner and keyboardist Jack Arky, and has utilized an array of guest musicians. They include the venerable Jane Scarpantoni (Lounge Lizards, Beck, Ben Folds Five) on cello and theremin, and Dennis Diken (Smithereens) on drums.

Often described as "the other man in black," Andrews has taken his music from coast to coast and all stops in between. In Nashville, he participated in the Bluebird Cafe's 14th Anniversary Celebration (sharing the stage with Crystal Gayle). In Austin, he took part in the SXSW festival. In his native New York, his recent appearances at the Bottom Line found him opening for Kinky Friedman and the late Rick Danko. He was also invited to perform at the Bottom Line's prestigious Required Listening series.

Andrews's other haunts include the Iron Horse in Northampton, Massachusetts (opening for BR5-49 and Fred Eaglesmith) and, out west, Berkeley's Freight & Salvage, San Francisco's Hotel Utah, and Sacramento's Summer Sammies concert series.

Listen to Andrews's new CD, "Cleaned And Pressed," and you'll hear the take-no-prisoners attitude you expect from his lyrics, and the unmistakable voice that is at times edgy and at times hauntingly romantic. Thirteen songs that can only come from "the other man in black."