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Congratulations to Lisa, 2000 WAMMIE winner (Washington DC Area Music Makers)

• Artist of the Year
• Album of the Year
• Contemporary Folk Female Vocalist of the Year
• Contemporary Folk Album of the Year (Second Avenue)

About Second Avenue:

Lisa Moscatiello has chosen or written 12 good songs that work well with her voice on Second Avenue. She has an expressive, full-bodied voice that stands front and center on these recordings. After noticing her voice, the listener will also notice the sheer range of material, from Jesse Winchester's "Biloxi" to Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart's "Love Is a Stranger." "Fugitive," written by Moscatiello and Ben Stanton, is a clever analysis of the type of character who doesn't mind committing random acts of violence to gain attention. "Second Avenue" is a catchy song about memory with the reassuring line, "Oh, love is an affliction/Love is a disease." "Sleepin' Late" and "Cards on the Table" have a nice, late-night jazz feel, with a quiet piano that softly caresses Moscatiello's vocals. Two of the more intriguing choices would have to be Abbey Lincoln's "Throw It Away," featuring accordion and Latin percussion, and "Love Is a Stranger," a song of obsession and desire. One of the fun things about hearing radically rearranged songs is that the listener gets a fresh take on an old favorite. Moscatiello has written five of the 12 songs on this album, and her material merges well with the songs she has chosen. Of course, the unifying element is her voice, but she has chosen or written songs with thoughtful lyrics. The arrangements, whether using cello, piano, or bouzouki, tastefully support each song. Second Avenue is a satisfying release, sure to please Moscatiello's fans as well as lovers of beautifully sung folk.

"Lisa Moscatiello has one of those voices that jumps out of the speakers and grabs you from across the room, but as if that weren't enough, she also has great taste in material. Second Avenue is the second solo album from the onetime lead singer of the folk-rock band New Saint George and the current vocalist with the Celtic fusion group Whirligig, and like its predecessor, Innocent When You Dream, it's an inspired mix of original songs, covers of other contemporary writers, and a traditional ballad.

Moscatiello, a native and resident of suburban Washington, has been legitimately compared with June Tabor for both the expressive power of her sonorous voice and the eclecticism of her repertoire. On Second Avenue she's backed by an uncommonly tasteful band that features Dave Chappell's electric guitar snapping through the louder tracks and Fred Lieder's cello lifting the softer ones. The disc opens with "Fugitive," co-written with Bev Stanton (of techno band Arthur Loves plastic), a mandolin-powered drive along an unguarded border between resilience and despair features Moscatiello's voice soaring between confidence and fear. The title song is a contrasting snapshot of a remembered romance, with fond memories and painful longings both set against a bright accordion melody.

Covers include a lush version of Jesse Winchester's evocative "Biloxi," a winsomely vulnerable-sounding reading of Carla Sciaky's "To Meet You," and a shivery voice-and-guitar arrangement of the Eurythmics' "Love is a Stranger." The disc's one traditional number, the moving Scottish love ballad "Lass of Glenshee," features a unique accompanying mix of cello, Celtic harp, and soprano saxophone. The closing track, a Moscatiello original called "Night Bird," is a quietly forceful song of perseverance that seems to sum up the ultimately hopeful theme of the disc. Second Avenue is the work of a major talent who is continuing to evolve."

--Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA), Dirty Linen, Dec/Jan 2001

"Moscatiello...has a spectacular voice, rich in tone and drenched in emotion."

"Terrific singing."

"A dynamic, soulful soprano that sings real words and emotions. You'll appreciate the clarity of voice and honesty of heart. Dream on."

"One of the best voices in the business."

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