Album Notes

The Washington Post
Nov. 15, 2002
Richard Harrington

The supple richness of Lisa Moscatiello's soprano finds a perfect foil in Fred Lieder's elegant cello, making for a chamber-folk sound both ancient and modern. On "What Happens After Love?" the ancient is evident in the duo's hymnlike reading of Fairport Convention's "Now Be Thankful" and evocations of musty folk ballads in taut arrangements of the melancholy "Color of Amber" and "Lass of Glenshee;" all reflect the singer's inspirational roots in Brit folk-rock tradition and recall her first local forays with the fondly remembered New St. George.

The modern comes in her brightly pulsating delivery of Abbey Lincoln's cautionary "Throw It Away" and assorted romantic ruminations. The latter include a Carole King/Gerry Goffin classic, "I Can't Make It Alone," and several Moscatiello originals, notably the aching "Bed by the Window" and the quizzically morose title track, co-written with Bev Stanton of Arthur Loves Plastic, one of several groups the singer is associated with. What's particularly rewarding about this live concert performance is the empathetic interplay between voice and cello (which sometimes slips into walking bass lines) and Moscatiello's exquisite taste. She can conjure up Sandy Denny better than most, her singer-songwriter instincts are solid, and she even shows some country grit on "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I," an Elvis Presley classic that Patsy Cline should have covered.


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Lisa Moscatiello has been hailed as "one of the best voices in the business" by Philadelphia's legendary folk dj Gene Shay (WXPN). The folk and world music magazine Dirty Linen has called her "one of the finest voices in America today," and her hometown has honored her with over 20 Washington, DC Area Music Awards (WAMMIES). Her rich alto voice has been compared to k.d. lang, Sandy Denny and June Tabor. In addition to her solo work, she is the current lead singer for the NYC-based Celtic fusion band Whirligig and for the techno project Arthur Loves Plastic.