Album Notes

Anne Marie Menta's third CD, “Seven Secrets,” was produced by Dick Neal at Circle Sound, Stratford, CT. Her third disc continues her lyrical and melodic style of songwriting, as well as collaborations with her producer, who is a featured player on the album. The CD boasts a number of musicians performing in ensemble style, including Neal himself, Jordan Jancz, Scott Lebish, Mark Mirando, Katie Wilson, Larry Deming, Shellye Valauskas, Vic Steffens, Armand Morgan, John Redgate, Matt Oestreicher, and Bob Csugie.

Recorded and engineered by Neal, and mastered by Vic Steffens at Horizon Music Group, West Haven, CT, the CD features a small band as well as acoustic arrangements. The songs range from contemporary folk ballads to innocent pop rockers, all featuring Anne Marie's warm vocals. The eight tracks are all, in some ways, small revelations or big discoveries that unfold as if it's the first time they are known and felt.

From the somber recognition of “(Bare Bones of My) Empty Heart” to the unfulfilled flirtation of “Got to Know,” the CD covers a wide variety of emotions and arrangements. The soldier's tale of keeping his war experiences unspoken about in “Never Told,”is simply expressed by Menta's straightforward vocal and guitar, accompanied by Dick Neal's haunting dobro.” Her cover of Dick Neal's classic- sounding ballad of loneliness, “Blue Town” is delivered by a full band that includes Jordan Jancz's lyrical cello and lush background harmonies. “Seven Secrets” is an emotionally and musically packed successor to Anne Marie's previously well-received collections, “Untried and True” and “When the Love Ran Deep.”