Elaine Romanelli

The Midnight Special received at least 1,000 new recordings, and I listened to about 500 new recordings, of which about 250 made it into the WFMT library, and about 150 received airplay… [Of that,] there are ten favorites this year.

In an era of singer-songwriters with dubious production values, Elaine Romanelli shines like a super nova with just her and her grand pianos. Her utterly haunting performance leads down the mirrored corridors of lost love with highly original reflections and melodies that tug and pull emotions...Of all the singer-songwriter recordings received this year, this one most unnerved me with its simultaneous simplicity and complexity. - Rich Warren, WFMT Chicago (syndicated)

New York songstress Elaine Romanelli played to a full house on Saturday, April 25, at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3.

Romanelli’s stage presence is that of a seasoned artist. It is obvious that she belongs on the stage.... Emotive and strong, yet subtle and gentle. Her presence glowed from the stage and filled the room. She took to the piano and acoustic guitar respectively that night, playing her heart out on both. Romanelli was able to connect with the room on so many different levels, and though I do not know Elaine personally, she made the room feel inviting and homey; making everyone feel welcome. Elaine Romanelli is a genuine artist and musician, who puts on an A+ show. She’s won me over for sure! - The Great Record Chase

Many years ago, I interviewed Eric Andersen and asked what led to the emergence of singer-songwriters during the folk revival. His answer was that songs the spoke to the needs and issues of his generation had not yet been written.

One of the finest examples of how that tradition is being carried on can be found in the music of Elaine Romanelli…The music she is creating reflects the many emotions we face in the daily trials and tribulations of modern life… She explores relationships in several songs that make the issues reachable to the listener.

Elaine plays piano and a bit of guitar on the recording. The accompaniment is perfectly sparse, letting Elaine’s words and beautiful voice stand out. This recording is fine example of what singer-songwriters in the folk world should be striving to produce. - DJ Ron Olesko, SingOut! Magazine, Ron's Favorites of 2015

The stunning new album "The Hour Before" from New York City-based Elaine Romanelli was released earlier this month and took center stage at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 last weekend on April 25. - Broadway World

Currently based in New York, Romanelli is an accomplished musician and performer. Her forthcoming LP, The Hour Before, which follows up 2010's Real Deal, and 2006's Better By Far,continues the path of musical achievement.

Romanelli's songs cover an array of musical ideas. Not only are her lyrics melodically thoughtful and refreshing, but she is also fluent on both the guitar and piano, which is proudly displayed throughout the effort. [...]

Stellar musicianship aside, it's the honesty in Romanelli's lyrical content that makes her standout from other talents, and further proves that she isn't another run-of-the-mill artist. If you live in NYC, catch her live on April 25th at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3. - Arena

There is a quiet elegance to Elaine Romanelli’s music, a thoughtfulness and intelligence that complements and underscores the stark beauty of her lyrics and melodies.  Her vocal and instrumental work are deceptively simple; there is in fact great power and dramatic tension in the understatement and nuance with which she writes and performs.  Her themes are often quirky, her points of view unexpected, even startling, but always intellectually involving and emotionally moving.  

It is surely no coincidence that one of the songs on Elaine's wonderful new album is titled “Shine.”  Shine she does, and beautifully so. - Si Kahn, 2010 Folk Alliance Special Triple Award Recipient: #1 Artist, #1 Album, #1 Song

..."Touching upon subjects that range from lighthearted to the deep, dark corners of the mind, Elaine speaks the universal truth. One of the most heartfelt songs on the record is "Real" which is a piece that speaks about domestic abuse. Every word she sings evokes a great emotion, as it lays on a subtle bed of music...

"The Hour Before" displays beauty inside and out; within every piano keystroke, within every lyric whisper. This gorgeous record is highly recommended." - Ethnocloud

[The Hour Before] is a beautiful recording from a gifted voice that more people need to hear. Her stunning vocals are matched with her gift for creating songs that are honest, intelligent, passionate and ultimately uplifting. She deals with a number of different emotions on this CD and in the end, it is a welcome collection of songs that reflect the feelings and situations most of us face at one time or another. - SingOut!

Of all the songs on this new album, “Real” is what you return to again and again, before hopping to “25” for a breath of fresh air. The songs fall in line between these two lynchpins, and evidence a real star in the making.

The Hour Before CD release party ($10 tickets, 21 and over) will feature Romanelli doing what she always does, performing solo, pouring out her sparkling and surprising personality in those original, universal songs. Look for her at New York’s Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, 185 Orchard St., on April 25, 7 p.m., dance in the aisles with abandon, purchase several CDs for you and your friends, and go over to thank her for getting it, for really getting it, ‘cause she does. - AXS

Elaine Romanelli's music is a cross between quirky confessional journal and indie movie soundtrack. Her voice is real, and her lyrics jump the fence between universally melodic and oddly re-defining, subconscious narratives. Her fans find themselves in the songs about the everyday connections that ripple out and tether them together. - AXS

Fri May 23, 7:30 PM Elaine Romanelli plays the Living Room upstairs. Ordinarily we would only mention someone from a reality TV show if we were going to make fun of him/her, but this one’s actually good.

Spectacularly soaring voice (classical training, Broadway experience), like a turbocharged Bliss Blood; tastefully retro bluesy songwriting; good piano chops, too. Get in and get out before all the tourists arrive.

Full calendar link here:


http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/category/nyc-live-music-calendar/ - Lucid Culture on Wordpress.com

March 16, 2010

Part Celtic, part alternative rock, Elaine Romanelli's music is anything but ordinary.

Although she has been compared to artists such as Bette Midler, she describes her sound a little differently. She recently took time out of her busy touring schedule to discuss her Irish heritage and its significance to her music.

CB: How would you describe your sound?
ER: "The sound I have now is pop, but with some Celt. I think it has some Sarah McLachlan and even Alison Krauss, when I think about the people I sound a bit like. I do have one song that is new, for which Bette Midler would probably be a great reference."

CB: What is the significance of St. Patrick's Day to you?
ER: "It's interesting because it's really been an evolution. When I was a kid, you know, it meant wearing green and then as a young adult, fresh out of college, it was green beer. Now, especially since I am performing, it's just a nice moment to stop and celebrate in whatever way the people around me want to do so. I am more interested in the celebratory feel of it. It's also nice to remember the happy side of Ireland, because there has been so much tragedy in that country. It is a time to remember the lilt of the laughter and not focus on some of the sadder parts of its history. As a family, my mother was the one who raised us after my father died, and she is Irish, so there was a little bit of lilt to life all the time. So, St. Patrick's Day wasn't the only time we were Irish."

CB: Are you going to be singing anything special for St. Patrick's Day?
ER: "Yes, we will be performing a few Irish tunes. There is a song my mom used to sing to us, Irish Eyes Are Smiling:--and there's another song, it's very common, people will sing it sometimes in bars in Ireland or even in England, which is called The Parting Glass, so we are definitely going to sing both of those."

Elaine Romanelli, along with Josh Fox, will perform three sets on March 17, 2010, St. Patrick's Day, at Broadway Dive (2662 Broadway at 101st St.) starting at 4:00 p.m.

She will also appear live each Monday night at Langley's during the month of March.

-Celeste Bradley - examiner.com

Elaine Romanelli: angelic-voiced singer/composer lands at an appropriate spot.

With Kelly Ruth (also bf) and Mythica (bf). Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St. , 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, $10, 215-928-0978, www.tinangel.com

3/13/09 - Philadelphia Daily News

"Real Deal,” Elaine Romanelli’s new studio album, pulses with realistic optimism... long after the CD stops spinning the music continues to play in your head.

Her music is hope, and the self-confessed “crazed foodie” hometown girl of Irish and Italian descent plates inspiration in song.
- Main Line Times

Elaine Romanelli is a New York City based musician. Her red locks mirror the strong influence of Celtic musical stylings found in her work, which she describes as ”folk/pop with a Celtic lilt.” She has appeared on television and off-Broadway, and is presently hard at work recording her second album project. - Daily Single

Romanelli's music is a hybrid of many genres: folk pop with a Celtic lilt, with a classical quality from experience in composition writing. - Buzz Weekly, Champaign, IL

PHILADELPHIA —- Delaware County’s own Elaine Romanelli brings her music back home with a performance at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Tin Angel.

Romanelli, who grew up in Haverford and sang in the Sacred Heart Parish church choir in the Manoa section and where her mom still sings, is glad to be back.

“Philadelphia was foundational for me musically,” she said. “I grew up with this rich mix of gorgeous sacred muisc in church, secular in school, singing every kind of whatever with my family and friends, and learngin the language of music through piano, violin and composition at Settlement (Music School).”

Romanelli attended the Baldwin School before going to Stanford University where she graduated with honors and taught, directed and performed before returning to the East Coast.

She will be at the Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., Wednesday and also on the bill are Delaware-based Mythica and local singer Kelly Ruth. There is a $10 cover charge.

Romanelli’s music melds lyrical melodies, intimate storytelling, catchy pop choruses, wry humor, and Celtic keening, according to her Web page.

Her 2006 debut EP “Better By Far” sold out twice on CD Baby and the popular track “Fly” was included on two compilations: “CD Baby Top Sellers August ‘06” and “The Open Mike Cafe Presents” (2007).

She was chosen as Artist of the Month in December by the popular New York City music blog Freedom Love-Fest, and is featured regularly as a top pick by Lucid Culture.

Elaine moved to New York City from San Francisco in 2006, the year she also starred in a “What Not to Wear” episode, a fan favorite which airs frequently.

She also understudied Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak’s high-profile collaboration, “Brundibar” at the New Victory Theater (NYC) and at Berkeley Repertory Theater (Berkeley, Calif.).

Url: http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/03/13/entertainment/doc49b8f324d902d711694065.txt - Delaware County Daily Times

excerpt from article...

Romanell's music gushes with honesty, but she hesitates to "divulge secrets" about her songs. Many fans have a deep connection to her songs. People have often come up to her after a show and told her that her songs are not really about her; rather, they are about them.

-April Olinchak, correspondant - Main Line News

'Lament' has been selected as one of the top 25 songs in the International category of the Australian songwriting competition this year.

Making this select list is a particular honor because the competition is so stiff; all songwriters outside of Australia compete in one sole category.

Final judging is ongoing. - press release excerpt

Romanelli mixes emotion with Irish influences
By Candace Blomendahl

Published: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 1:15 AM CDT

YORK — Elaine Romanelli, a folk/pop singer-songwriter with York connections, is releasing a new album.

“Real Deal” was debuted on May 20 at New York City rock club The Bitter End. The album will be released worldwide on June 15.

With a focus on storytelling and Celtic lilt undertones, Romanelli sings of fear, hope and how to keep going. Romanelli wrote one of the most popular tracks on her album, “Lament,” after her brother, Army Reservist and paratrooper Maj. Philip Romanelli, was sent out on a second tour of duty in Iraq. The track evokes the emotion and experience of families awaiting the return of loved ones from war while also highlighting Romanelli’s half-Irish heritage.

The artist was raised in Manhattan, Kan., and suburban Philadelphia. In August 2006, she moved from San Francisco to New York City. Her mother, Eileen Foley Romanelli, was born on a farm near York and now lives in suburban Philadelphia. Her mother took her First Communion at St. Patrick Church in McCool Junction. Romanelli’s grandparents, the late Charles E. Foley and Ruth M. Sughrue Foley, were married in York at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where they are also buried. And Romanelli’s cousins, Blanche and Walt Clymer, live in York.

Romanelli spent time in York as a child when her family came up from Manhattan, Kan., each year for the Memorial Day mass at St. Joseph’s cemetery and Sughrue family reunion.

“Real Deal” is the first full studio album for Romanelli and features 13 songs. - York News-Times

By CARRIE FELTER
NEWS Intern

Singer-songwriter Elaine Romanelli prepares for the world wide release of her full-length album, Real Deal.

The Havertown native explains she’s been musically inclined forever. “I don’t remember not being interested in music.” It was clear for both Romanelli and her family that a life filled with music was inevitable.

After attending The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr and studying music at an after-school program at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, Romanelli has developed into an extremely talented musician with a personal message for her listeners. Last April, she sang at the Llanerch Country Club in Havertown with her brother, Flip Romanelli. Elaine and her brother both sang in Sacred Heart Adult Choir during their high school years.

In today’s competitive music industry, the profession of being an independent musician is an uphill battle. Romanelli uses her creativity and determination to manage her career.

After a lot of experience, Romanelli now recognizes the need to separate the business side of her music work from her art.

She also admits to having a lot of help from her friends and family who have contributed their time and talents in order for her to follow her dreams.

Learning from her struggles with the music industry, Romanelli recommends a strong support system, like the one she has been lucky enough to have, to anyone planning on becoming a musician.

Romanelli’s ultimate goal for her career is to produce a certified gold record by selling 500,000 copies of her album, but she is happy as long as her music reaches the public and enriches people’s lives. She considers herself a success as long as people are able to connect with her music and find what she sings about to be true for themselves.

Tending towards the folk genre, Romanelli works with her producer to blend his pop sensibilities with her music to create a refreshing sound. Including themes of fear, hope, and love in her lyrics, she is able to create incredible music for anyone to relate to.

For more information about this great local artist, sample music, or attend any upcoming live performances visit www.elaineromanelli.com. - News of Delaware County

Artsy pop tunesmith Elaine Romanelli transcends any label you might be tempted to peg her with. She’s a tremendous singer – her soaring high soprano is sometimes poised and playful, sometimes brooding and bitter. Her songs are vivid, aphoristic, often metaphorically charged; many of them have an indelibly urban, New York-centricness about them. The inspired backing unit on her latest album, The Real Deal includes Josh Fox on guitar, Andrew Fox on piano, Clay Wilson on bass and Dave Gluck on drums along with lush, rich arrangements from the “Screaming Strings,” Patricia Cole on violin and Larry DiBello on cello.

“The salt you pour each day has left its sting,” Romanelli admits on the cd’s opening cut, Song About the Trees, but she’s insistent on pulling herself up out of misery. The evocative Iraq war wife’s tale, aptly titled Lament, packs a wallop: “Now the tours are longer and they happen every year…pray the chopper sets him down, pray that he can still walk,” the poor woman pleads over a machine-gun drumbeat. Merry Go Round, with a choice string arrangement, is wryly metaphorical:

Take off the training wheels
Try not to be afraid
Go for a test run
Go back and think some more
Go into hiding
Curl in a ball on the floor
Or stay on the merry-go-round…

Romanelli follows that with the 6/8 piano ballad Faust Revisited, a subtly caustic, insightful look at what some people might consider while contemplating plastic surgery:

And I yearn to be perfect
But I wonder if maybe by now it’s too late
‘Cause I grew up with this face
Which never was beautiful
So there’s years of old feelings
They’d have to replace

With a jaunty, wickedly catchy janglerock bounce, Not a Love Song is not the sneering Public Image Ltd. broadside but a soaring, Sharon Goldman-style pop hit. Stupid Boy, like its storyline, begins sultry and goes bitter fast, all the way into a killer chorus. Fly picks up the pace, revisiting the treadmill theme of the third cut but more optimistically this time, its narrator trying to nudge a bedraggled friend out of her comfortably sad routine. The rest of the album includes Naughty Lola, which blends a sultry lounge feel with janglerock; the scrambling punk-pop shuffle Unapologetic like something off the Go Go’s comeback album God Bless the Go Go’s; a Celtic-tinged a-cappella ballad, a bouncy piano pop number and finally, after all that, the crazed vaudevillian romp Pour Me a Drink – she and the band have earned it. Elaine Romanelli plays the cd release for The Real Deal at the Bitter End this Thursday, May 20 at 8. - Lucid Culture

PHILADELPHIA—Delaware County’s Elaine Romanelli, soprano and songwriter, releases her debut full album Real Deal this spring, a year after previewing the unrecorded songs at a packed show at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia.

The release kicks off with a celebratory show Thursday, May 20th, at 8pm at The Bitter End in New York City’s West Village, where for decades musicians have launched their careers, from legends such as Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder to new sensations like Lady Gaga.

Tickets are $5, doors open at 7:30pm.

“I think my Italian and Irish sides are trading off in my subconscious,” says Romanelli, who is half-Irish, “because I didn’t study the music of my heritage, but it’s clearly influenced my writing and singing. The album is folk/pop with a Celtic lilt. You can absolutely hear the Irish folk side in the way the melodies burble and skip, and you can hear the Italian pop in the the long, heartfelt phrases.”

Romanelli grew up in Havertown and attended the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA, and also the after school music program at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. She has family throughout the region as well as in Havertown, where her mother still lives. Elaine lives now in Manhattan, New York City.

Real Deal will be available worldwide in June via Amazon, iTunes, her website, elaineromanelli.com, and other physical and digital retailers.

She recorded the album over the past nine months with producer Mikhail Pivovarov at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Conn., and is releasing it independently. - Delaware County Daily Times

PHILADELPHIA—Delaware County’s Elaine Romanelli, soprano and songwriter, releases her debut full album Real Deal this spring, a year after previewing the unrecorded songs at a packed show at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia.

The release kicks off with a celebratory show Thursday, May 20th, at 8pm at The Bitter End in New York City’s West Village, where for decades musicians have launched their careers, from legends such as Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder to new sensations like Lady Gaga.

Tickets are $5, doors open at 7:30pm.

“I think my Italian and Irish sides are trading off in my subconscious,” says Romanelli, who is half-Irish, “because I didn’t study the music of my heritage, but it’s clearly influenced my writing and singing. The album is folk/pop with a Celtic lilt. You can absolutely hear the Irish folk side in the way the melodies burble and skip, and you can hear the Italian pop in the the long, heartfelt phrases.”

Romanelli grew up in Havertown and attended the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA, and also the after school music program at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. She has family throughout the region as well as in Havertown, where her mother still lives. Elaine lives now in Manhattan, New York City.

Real Deal will be available worldwide in June via Amazon, iTunes, her website, elaineromanelli.com, and other physical and digital retailers.

She recorded the album over the past nine months with producer Mikhail Pivovarov at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Conn., and is releasing it independently. - Delaware County Daily Times

Singer and songwriter Elaine Romanelli has been named Artist of the Month for December 2008 by the blog Freedom LoveFest.

Said FLF moderator Nana-Oye: "I made the wonderful and talented Ms. Romanelli the FLF Artist of the Month for December 2008. I hope it helps to spread the good word....".

The Artist of the Month is featured on the FLF website, at:
http://freedomlovefest.typepad.com/freedom_lovefest/2008/12/dec3.html , and notification about upcoming gigs is also emailed to the FLF mailing list.


- FLF

Michael Stephens conducts an in-depth interview with Elaine Romanelli.


Stephens says of Elaine's songwriting: "When I listen to your music, I feel enlightened."

Hear the whole interview on Episode 69 at http://openmikecafe.blogspot.com.


- Michael Stephens

Better By Far is that rare kind of record that creates its own niche in the corner of the musical universe... Romanelli has a powerhouse voice that employs operatic flourishes on some songs, while other songs are bluesy showcases of sass and wit. If you have a weakness for any combination of Ella Fitzgerald, Bette Midler and Shawn Colvin, this is the record for you.

--Drew Pearce, contributing writer, Acoustic Guitar magazine - CD Baby