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Bio:
Allison Tartalia's powerful and expressive performances have a way of charming audiences. The secret weapons: fearless honesty, a wry sense of humor and a flair for writing songs that are at once unpredictable and unforgettable. Audiences have taken notice at clubs, colleges and festivals around the country.

A classically trained pianist and self-taught guitar player with a theatrical bent, Allison draws upon diverse influences to create her eclectic brand of orchestral chamber pop. Her debut CD, "Ready," was enthusiastically greeted by critics, and tracks from the album receive airplay on college and independent radio stations from coast to coast. Recently, Allison's "Spinning Song" won second place in the Indiegrrl Song Writing Contest, and other tunes have been recognized by the Billboard and John Lennon Songwriting Contests.

2007 saw Allison's first foray into musical theatre as composer and arranger. 1918: A House Divided, (book and lyrics by award-winning playwright Barbara Kahn) was produced by the Pulitzer Prize-winning community cultural center, Theater for the New City, in April 2007. An original cast recording was released in September, 2008. 2008 has been equally busy for Tartalia, who frequently accompanies other artists as a keyboardist and vocalist both on stage and in the studio, and recently wrote music for the documentary 5,000 Miles From Home.

Allison performs as a singer with Petra Haden and the Sellouts and can be heard playing piano on recordings by Kirstin Williams, Meg Braun, Sharon Goldman, and others.

Tartalia is currently in the recording studio working on a follow-up CD, produced by Grammy Award winner Michael Leonhart (Steely Dan, Lenny Kravitz).

Reviews
"Wonder of wonders, this native New Yorker's debut CD sounds legitimately more jazzy than folky--smack-dab in the Laura Nyro/Ricki 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, The Village Voice

"Allison Tartalia [is] a singer with a sultry voice. . ." -- Marc Santora, The New York Times

“…a standout among female “confessional” singer/songwriters” -- Dale Johnson, Cincinnati CityBeat

". . . a bit edgy, often very fun, sometimes serious and beautiful and. . .stunningly good piano work. . . " Susanne Millsaps, KRCL, Salt Lake City, UT

"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. Singer-songwriters are always more interesting when they add something extra - and Tartalia's got plenty of extras in her diverse sound." -- Kari Wethington, Cincinnati's CinWeekly