Lisa Germano - On the Way Down From the Moon Palace (CD)

All Music Guide

Lisa Germano's debut album On the Way Down From the Moon Palace is considerably rootsier and poppier than her later efforts, but the album showcases her skills as an arranger and her wonderfully expressive, versatile violin playing, particularly on the title track, "Dark Irie," and "Screaming Angels Dancing in Your Garden." The album's somewhat glossy production makes pop-oriented songs like "Guessing Game (or The Music Business)," "Cry Baby," and "Dig My Own Grave" sound more mainstream than they actually are. However, pretty, meditative instrumentals like "Calling" and "Simply Tony" -- which feature guitar, mandolin, accordion, and piano as well as Germano's violin -- hint at the ethereal folk she'd perfect on albums like Geek the Girl and Excerpts From a Love Circus. On "Blue Monday," Germano's whispery voice provides a clever contrast with the song's tough, earthy melody and lyrics, making it a bit of an anomaly in her career, but the lush strings and plaintive melody of "The Other... One," the delicate, wistful pop of "Hangin' With a Deadman," and the spooky folk of "Riding My Bike" -- about the stalker who inspired several of Germano's other songs -- point the way toward her more developed work. An accomplished debut, On the Way Down From the Moon Palace introduced her unique, uncompromising talent, and suggested she had much more to offer. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less