Allison's Invention

Allison Tartalia (pictured) distinguishes herself for a slightly aggressive songwriting edge and for sophisticated arrangements that range from the orchestral to the electronic. - The Deli Magazine

Trying to pin down Emmy-nominee Allison Tartalia to one genre is like trying to capture a single atom in your hand. A self-trained guitar player and classically-trained pianist, she has composed for musicals and accompanied others as a singer and keyboardist. As a solo artist, she has been known to fuse jazz, rock, folk and more — sometimes all within the same song. She is brutally honest about her life; her songs, thematically similar to Aimee Mann's, are downtrodden yet still possess a sardonic wit. You may just get to know her a little better — she has been known to tell stories from her life between songs — while you watch her bare her soul onstage.

— Brett Ackerman - Beacon Pass

Trying to pin down Emmy-nominee Allison Tartalia to one genre is like trying to capture a single atom in your hand. A self-trained guitar player and classically-trained pianist, she has composed for musicals and accompanied others as a singer and keyboardist. As a solo artist, she has been known to fuse jazz, rock, folk and more — sometimes all within the same song. She is brutally honest about her life; her songs, thematically similar to Aimee Mann's, are downtrodden yet still possess a sardonic wit. You may just get to know her a little better — she has been known to tell stories from her life between songs — while you watch her bare her soul onstage.

— Brett Ackerman - Beacon Pass

"Wonder of wonders, this native New Yorker's debut CD sounds legitimately more jazzy than folky--smack-dab in the Laura Nyro/Rickie Lee Jones/Sophie B. Hawkins lineage, complete with sax solos warm enough for Baker Street and titles that namecheck Ab Fab and Dorothy... Tell Auntie Em and Toto, too; Oz never did give nothin' to the tin man that he didn't already have." - Chuck Eddy

"Tartalia rolled through the alternating set with a number of gorgeous and delicately-executed piano ballads from her new CD, Ready." - Brian Baker (March 2006) - South X Midwest: Greater Cincinnati's South By Southwest 'Class of 2006' shines bright deep in the h

"...a singer with a sultry voice..." - Marc Santora

“The New Yorker’s ready blend of rock, jazz pop and folk…is wedded to a striking bright voice that sings out with edgy, quirky intensity. Her diverse influences may include lyrical inspiration from Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Gale from the Oz books, and William Shakespeare, but this music will definitely make you want to leave the reading chair behind.” - Jason Serinus, San Diego Update - San Diego Update

HOTT BAND OF THE WEEK: ALLISON TARTALIA (ASTORIA, N.Y.)
The label "singer-songwriter" doesn't fully grasp Allison Tartalia's worldly sound. It's not just guitars and emotional lyrics here. You'll hear a full range of eclectic noise during Tartalia's set at Chicks Rockfest this weekend - jazzy piano, rich percussion and clever lyrics delivered in the singer's commanding voice.

WHY SHE'S HOTT: Singer-songwriters are always more interesting when they add something extra - and Tartalia's got plenty of extras in her diverse sound.

(April 2006) - Kari Wethington

OffOff Online
"Tartalia's varied, memorable, and often soaring score...I left A House Divided humming "Shake the Tambourine" and haunted by the lyrics of "The Last to Die." I hope to see it revived soon." - RL Nesvet, April 2007

NY Theatre Wire
"Beautiful music...Both the larger and smaller stories in ''1918: A House Divided'' are told in a series of short scenes with music that ranges from martial to bluesy to lyrical. Particularly effective is ''The Last to Die,'' the haunting ballad Jamie (Robert Gonzales, Jr.) sings to the man he loves as that man goes off to war." - Paulanne Simmons, April 2007

"...a score that irving Berlin might have been jeaolous of." - HiDrama - book & lyrics by Barbara Kahn, music and arrangements by Allison Tartalia

“…a standout among female “confessional” singer/songwriters” - CityBeat

"Allison Tartalia brings us her own blend of indy pop that veers into jazz, folk, rock and funk, delighting at every turn with her edgy lyrics that capture and intrigue, and make you smile. Who can resist an album that serves up a song inspired by the British TV show "Absolutely Fabulous" and another called "Dorothy's Reply," a sassy retort from Oz that makes you hit replay to relish it again. The CD is called 'Ready,' and I certainly am, for more" - JD Doyle

"The performance was enjoyed by the crowd.. The interacting of the artist and students made it fun to watch."
- University of WI, Parkside

"One of the nicest performers I have worked with!" - Carnegie Mellon University
- campus concert review

Renowned voice comes to Cleveland area

Life as a struggling New York city musician can be tough. For jazz and folk vocalist Allison Tartalia, New York City life meant hours travelling on the city’s public transportation system, a tough ride for the pedestrian with a digital piano in tow.

“Lugging a digital piano around on public transportation is impractical at best,” the now newly-licensed Tartalia said. For the next couple of weeks, Tartalia takes to the wheel and a host of southern highways as she embarks on her “Student Driver: Ready for the Road Tour.”

On August 28, she will perform at The Flip Side located at 105 South Lombard Street in Clayton. Proceeds from the show will benefit the American Cancer Society.

An award winning artist, Tartalia—who incidentally got her driver’s license in July—joins with Vicki Blankenship, Patti Witten and Danielle Miraglia of the “Music for Life” concert series, recently releasing a compilation CD Music for Life: Volume I.

Julia Abrams, media coordinator with Make Haste! Records, says that her guitar and piano performances scheduled in four southeastern states will be intimate acoustic performances that will showcase her unique musical blend.

The New York native has received ample acclaim from both national and New York local critics. Described in the New York Times as a “singer with a sultry voice,” Jason Serinus of the San Diego Update wrote that Tartalia possesses a “striking, bright voice that sings out with edgy, quirky intensity.”

Tickets for the Clayton show are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Tartalia has already played in Alabama before playing
- Jessica Bennett