Album Notes

Since the 1999 release of her debut CD, "Untried & True", Anne Marie Menta has made Connecticut original-music fans take notice. The 12-song collection is performed as an acoustic trio with some tracks featuring a full band. Released to enthusiastic reviews, the record gained radio air play throughout Connecticut on acoustic music programs.

Fran Fried of the New Haven Register called the album "sweet and upbeat and sad and nostalgic without milking any of the above emotions the way Hollywood does." The New Haven Advocate wrote: "Anne Marie Menta's exquisite new CD has a lot of critics gushing, and she's just as good live."

Combining engaging melodies and poignant lyrics, her contemporary folk tunes are song memoirs of love and loss. Menta's strong rhythm guitar playing blends with guitarist Armand Morgan's melodic style to support her warm vocals. Bassist Dan Martin and drummer/producer Vic Steffens complete the ensemble sound. Harmony vocals are provided by Morgan, Martin and guest singer John Redgate, as well as Menta herself.

She placed as a finalist in the Singer/Songwriter category for the 1997,1999 and 2000 New Haven Advocate Readers Choice Poll. In September of '99, she was a featured performer on the Upper Stage at the newly revived Eli Whitney Folk Festival in New Haven, Connecticut. Menta has opened for national acts such as Richard Shindell, the Kennedys and Eddie From Ohio.

In 2001, Menta was a Showcase artist at NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance). Menta placed as a finalist in the 2004 South Florida Folk Festival's Singer/Songwriter contest with "That's My Sister," the opening track from "Untried & True."