ANJ

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2007
Anj, is one of southern New Jersey's finest songwriters, singers and pianists. In fact, she has been since she was about 5 years old. You could say her life story is one of a girl and her piano.
"I can't say I remember a time in my life when I didn't play piano," Anj says. "I started regularly composing songs around 14 (and) then when I was 18, I performed at an open-mic night as a favor to a friend. It was a life-changing moment for me."

That open-mic night helped Anj realize she was meant to be behind a piano.

The Somers Point native says she's "100 percent Jersey Girl - born and bred," and playing the local scene is pleasant for Anj and not at all a departure from what she's been accustomed to since day one of performing. But she is also proud of the gigs she played in Philadelphia, Boston, New York City and even a recent gig in Los Angeles.

So what makes Anj stand out from the rest of the piano talent streaming the bars, lounges and clubs? Stage presence is the key to Anj's show, making it something unique and special to see.

"Coming to see me perform tends to be a modern twist on a 1940s piano lounge," she says, "I play and sing my original music, which is a sophisticated hybrid of jazz, blues and folk. I mix old jazz standards from legends like Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin with more current covers like Joni Mitchell and Carole King."
Anj describes her sound as if "you took the storytelling of Janis Ian, the quirkiness of Tori Amos and the class of Norah Jones and mixed them in a blender with a dash of Nat King Cole, you'd have my music." But, she adds, "Of course, there is that special Anj seasoning that makes my music uniquely me."

What She Plays: Original and standard jazz pieces with a hint of folk and blues.

Specialty: Songs by jazz favorites like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as originals.

New To Setlist: "My favorite additions to my setlist are "Cherish The Day" by Sade and "Imagine" by John Lennon," she says. "I have a new original instrumental piece called 'The End Of Love,' which has recently been a big hit at my shows."

Roster: It's all about Anj! She is the singer, songwriter and pianist.

Why She's Cool: Anj has a wide variety of musical interests, some of which she's grown up with and others she's found organically through her love of music. "I've always been a musical vagabond," Anj says. "I come from a very musical family, and my father, who is a jazz musician, raised me on everything from Motown to psychedelic rock to jazz to folk to funk to progressive rock to pop (and) gospel."

Originals: Anj just released a brand new album last month titled "When Grey Blushes." The album is available at www.cdbaby.com/anj3, CD Exchange on Tilton Road in Northfield, the Living Well Holistic Center on Route 322 in Hamilton and will be available for digital download from iTunes, Rhapsody and MusicNow within the next few months.

Claim To Fame: Anj's song, "Twelve Thirty One O One," was a contender for the VH1 Song Of The Year Contest, which took entries from more than 20 countries worldwide. Anj was also invited to peform at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles for the TAXI Music Convention, and she is also looking at radio airplay in New Jersey, Colorado, Portugal, Australia and Indonesia.

Go See Her: Anj will perform 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Forum Lounge inside Caesars Atlantic City. You can also catch on Dec. 31 at Bally's Atlantic City at 4 p.m.

Web Site:
www.sonicbids.com/anj3

- Story by Rebecca Grites
- Atlantic City Press

"Anj weaves personal storytelling with her unique vocal style and magnificent piano skills into a heartfelt performance you will surely remember." - Larry, Oakes, Founder of the Singer/Songwriter Sessions, The Bitter End, NYC

Review of Anj's new CD "When Grey Blushes"

"In these days when musicians are judged not by talent, but how many club openings they attend; When how many trips to rehab are more important to albums sale than the emotional invest an artist makes to their work, I was ready to hang my head in mourning for music. And then I stumbled across Anj and, miraculously, I began to feel genuine hope. That's the best way to describe Anj, Genuine. She takes you by the hand as she leads you on her journey through life. And, even if you just met her, you find yourself recognizing some familiar landmarks along the path. If you want to laugh or cry or remember what life has to offer, buy this CD. Then sit back, close your eyes and recall the last time "When Grey Blushed" in your life."

- John K. Alvarez

She's been compared to everyone from Tori Amos to Carole King, but 22-year-old South Jersey native - ANJ - is finding an audience on her own terms.

Egg Harbor Township resident ANJ grew up in a musical household and started playing piano as a toddler. Her performances have been likened to a one-woman play set to music as she reaches out to audiences with what she calls "conversational poetry" that describe the genesis of each song. Her indie debut album, Coin and a Half Girls, was released in 2004.

With a soaring soprano voice, impressive piano-playing skills and diary-like lyrics about love, friendships and angst, ANJ has built a steady fan base throughout South Jersey. She says she especially enjoys live shows in "intimate, personal" settings like the Noyes Museum.

"I feel the audience's energy and that comes through in the music," ANJ said by phone, adding that she likes to take well-known songs, such as Don McLean's "Vincent," Sting's "When We Dance" and Van Morrison's "Crazy Love," and "turn them into my own."

"I'll keep the basic structure the same, but change the melody or the lyrics slightly," ANJ said. "I try to make it different, but familiar."

- Nicole Pensiero

Anj - When Grey Blushes
2007, Andrea Granieri

Anj may be one of the more enigmatic singer/songwriters in popular music. A classically trained pianist, she writes songs in a style she calls "orchestrated jazz". In essence she is using jazz scales and progressions couched in classical song composition to create an incredibly unique framework for her poetic muse. 2008 sees the release of Anj's second album, When Grey Blushes. On When Grey Blushes Anj takes the step of adding instrumentation to her usual vocal/piano mix, with tremendous success.

The music on When Grey Blushes is stylistically similar to early Tori Amos material, in that it is piano driven and strongly based in classical composition with jazz and pop influences. From these you lose all comparisons, as Anj is truly unlike anyone else currently in the pop sphere. Her songs are deeply personal, musically intricate, and with a stark vocal style that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Former Stranger opens the set with an unsettling piano progression, counter-punching violin, and eccentric vocals. There are also a couple of passages where the most disturbingly beautiful vocal harmonies chime in. It is truly a memorable opening and one that lets you know this won't be your typical music experience. This musical distress resolves into the simple beauty of Bright Winter. I could run through every song here, because there isn't a tune on When Grey Blushes that isn't remarkable. For the sake of brevity I'll just mention a few songs of note. View Of The Few is starkly beautiful, literate and real. This is currently my favorite track on the album, but this is one of those albums where the favorite rotates from day to day or sometimes listen to listen.

Be sure to check out Praise (Happy Birthday Father), a highly personal and beautiful paternal tribute. The Rest Of Me is also noteworthy, building from a dark, brooding piano opening into an impassioned plea from one who gave all to a relationship and ended up with nothing.

Take away the sunlight at the end of the day and we are all left in shadow. It is here in the emotional dusk that Anj crafts stories about the apparitions and wraiths that trouble her heart. The result is one of the most striking and darkly beautiful albums of 2007. When Grey Blushes is sublime. It is a certified Desert Island Disc, and it gets Wildy's World's highest recommendation.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)
- Wildy's World

A homegrown artist presents her music at the Noyes Museum of Art. It's a fitting location for Anj to perform, for her introspective, thoughtful music is a manifestation of true talent and self-expression. At only 22, Anj is a poised singer-pianist who writes much of her material.

Anj grew up in a musical household in Linwood and has appeared onstage since she was 8. "I spent a lot of my time as a kid going to his jobs and watching him play," she says. "I credit him with a lot of my musical prowess, since he brought me up on many different kinds of music ɠNow, I'm so appreciative because by having all these different kinds of music in my history, I have more to draw from. I have a larger vocabulary to write with."

Although her music is compared to that of Carole King, Tori Amos, Nora Jones and Laura Nyro, Anj conveys something individual and unique. Just as those artists were once compared to others, so is Anj. However, listen to her debut CD Coin and a Half Girls (available on cdbaby.com) and you'll understand her creative range.

In concert, she reaches out to her audience through song introductions often described as "conversational poetry." Anj's songs are portraits set to music that touch the soul. At the Noyes, she'll preview her album with an intimate vocal and piano concert.

Opening for Anj is smooth jazz saxophonist Howard Isaacson, who has performed at the Jazz at the Point Festival, the Bubba Mac Shack and various casinos including Trump Plaza. His album Dream World is a favorite among local jazz aficionados.



- Steve Angelucci, Atlantic City Weekly, June 16, 2005

"ANJ has undoubtedly been listening to her Tori Amos records. With a soaring, often tremulous soprano voice, impressive piano-playing skills and diary-like lyrics about love, twisted friendships, and general life angst, this 22-year-old South Jersey native has built a steady fan base through relentless coffeehouse gigging.

This, her self-produced debut effort, is a 14-song (12, if you don't count the mostly spoken-word opening and closing tracks) collection of often-wistful original material set only to ANJ's dramatic voice and piano. As much a poet as a singer -- with all that that implies, both positive and negative -- ANJ specializes in potent, estrogen-laden ballads.

When she truly nails it -- like on the heartfelt paean to her music, "Ivory," or the tango-ish ballad "Former Stranger" -- ANJ impressive skills as a songwriter and musician soar past any minor missteps. A noteworthy debut."

- Philadelphia City Paper, October 21, 2004

The Tin Angel is a small club located on 2nd Street in the Olde City section of Philadelphia, It is upstairs from an eclectic restaurant called Serrano, and both are welcoming and cozy. There's no place better to head on a sultry summer night to hear Anj Granieri perform her captivating music.

As we entered and decided on a table, we noticed Anj immediately. She's a tall, striking girl with that great hair! I introduced myself and my husband and she immediately started a conversation with us. We had lots to talk about since, like Anj, my husband is from the Atlantic City area. Anj is hoping to branch out from that area, and after spending time in New York, she is booking gigs in Philadelphia. She is also collaborating with some other artists (a few from thesixtyone) on live music ventures.

Now to the best part – the music! There were four performers on the bill and Anj was first. She is the kind of performer who gets the audience involved in the show by explaining how she comes by the ideas for the songs she writes and performs. We heard Bright Winter (you can feel the wind on the beach while listening to this one - a good way to cool off in June), Michelle (my personal favorite about the foster child her parents took in for a year), View of the Few (a song inspired by her family), The End of Love (that fabulous instrumental that just conjures up all kinds of emotions before you even realize what's happening), The Rest of Me (written while Anj was living in New York) and The Mark. The Mark is such a powerful song, and performed live just brought tears to my eyes, which is no easy feat.

She ended the show with her own version of God Bless America which was jazzy, distinctive, and respectful all at the same time.

I will definitely see Anj perform again. Her voice is one of a kind, and her personality shines through her compositions

Anj's music is available at cdbaby. - Raine at maxbumps blog

"Drama plays a crucial part in ANJ's music. Cinematic songs such as "Former Stranger" are deeply personal, with lyrics about someone longing for human connection. Her music combines the confessional lyrics of Carole King with the theatrical storytelling of Tom Waits."

- Tim Zatzariny, The Courier Post, January 22, 2004

Andrea Granieri is young and hip, with a pervasive sweetness that bespeaks someone raised in the gentler, open spaces of Atlantic County. And she's discovering just how much it takes -- in energy, patience and connections -- to become a successful artist in the world beyond the county's boundaries.

Her professional name, Anj, is pronounced with a broad "a," like the French word for angel ("ange"), or the last syllable in "mélange" -- an apt description of the mixed genres of music she embraces as a singer, pianist and composer.

Now 25, Granieri grew up in Linwood. A self-described "invisible, quiet sort of kid," she had an epiphany on her last day of high school when she took over an open mike at Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point, after a friend froze with stage fright.

"I found myself up there performing," Granieri recalls, "and I felt 100-percent myself." That self-actualizing feeling convinced her to pursue a music career, she says.

Up to that point, the only significant time she'd spent on stage was at age nine, when she sang "Over the Rainbow" at a special performance at Bally's arranged by her father, noted musician Carl Granieri.

She played piano and composed songs throughout her teenage years, but "only at home, and usually in a dark room," she says.

By the end of her college years at Rowan, though, she was gigging at spots throughout the tristate area, including Philadelphia's Grape Street Pub and World Café Live, and, as she puts it, "at a lot of open mikes."

Gigging only went so far, Granieri says, and it became clear that she had to start recording her offerings -- a unique blend of pop, jazz, folk and blues -- to reach a larger audience.

Shortly after graduating, she plunked down $300 at a friend's makeshift recording studio, asking: "How much will this buy me?"

The answer was a pile of CDs that she sold for $5 apiece at continued gigs.

Coin and a Half Girls (2004), the title of that first effort, was named after a biblical parable about three workers who are cautioned to use coins wisely.

"It's all about using your gifts," Granieri says.

In the early years, she says, financial realities often tempered that goal, as she worked at "just about everything -- from temp work to waitressing -- anything that would leave nights free to perform."

Life was far from glamorous.

"It would be the middle of December, and there I was loading up the car with heavy equipment, walking through the snow in heels," she recalls. "You keep going, but you start feeling 'all this effort has to start leading somewhere.'"

Granieri started focusing more on music-related jobs to bring in money, performing at events ranging from weddings to funerals, and teaching piano privately.

The new focus also led to an impressive string of 85 performance dates at Caesars' Forum lounge in Atlantic City, where Granieri began to perform a mix of original music and standards. Reviewers showered her with praise. Some compared her to Carole King and Norah Jones. In October 2006, Granieri briefly detoured to New York City.

"I'd just turned 24," she explains, "and I thought maybe I should be in the 'hub' to bring my career to the next level."

Her apartment in Chinatown proved a quintessential setting.

"It was about eight-feet wide -- I had to get dressed on top of the bed," she says. "There were roaches on the wall, a broken window, and I slept in my hat and gloves to stay warm. All for $950 a month.

"It got very cold very fast," Granieri says of her big city experience, adding that "it doesn't happen like you see in the movies [where you] go to New York [and] make it overnight."

The Internet has "changed everything," she says. "Whoever is supposed to find you, will find you there, and vice versa. It's all about building up your credentials, wherever you are."

Granieri established her next major "cred" at MorningStar Studios in Springhouse, Pa., where she created a new album with assistance from her father and producer Glen Barratt.

"It's a really accurate representation of my sound," she says of When Grey Blushes, a collection lushly enmeshed in piano, cello, bass, drums and vocal percussion, which she completed last year. (Clips are available at www.cdbaby.com/anj; downloads at iTunes and Rhapsody. The music also provides an elegant backdrop to Anj's site at www.myspace.com/anjmusic.)

Back home now, Granieri is convinced that she had things right to begin with.

Her original piano composition, "The End of Love," just received a runner-up award in VH1's Song of the Year contest, and she's utilizing TAXI, an independent A&R (artist and repertoire) company to place her original compositions in music libraries to be considered for television and film use.

In all likelihood, Granieri adds, the next level in her career also will include a one-on-one relationship with a manager.

"The industry is tightly woven," she says. "After a while, people all know one another. You' - Atlantic City Press

"If you’re lucky, every once in awhile you get to see something special – something you don’t see everyday – like, a pair of fawns or a double rainbow. Sometimes if you’re really lucky, you will get to see the birth of a star, which is what an audience at the Restless Spirit Music, Art and Literature Shop may have witnessed on Aug 28...

...Indeed, Anj seems to be in tune with her instrument, because the listener can distinguish where she synchronizes her voice with the melody she plays on the piano...

...More than one person has likened her performance to a one-woman play set to music. In truth, Anj’s songs are a play as they tell the story of her life from the viewpoint of one who loves too deeply and cares too much, and thus is the source of much of her own anguish..."

- Christopher South, Ocean City Sentinel, September 4, 2003

By any standard, Anj Granieri has had a good year.

It's been a 12-month stretch where she was discovered at a music convention by showing sympathy for a music agent's insomnia.

Where, despite lacking a music deal, she landed one of her own tracks onto a compilation disc with prominent female artists such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy.
Where she started writing music for Oprah.

In short, her long-slog career as a singer-songwriter and composer has finally started paying off.

"Yeah, I know, what a crazy time to leave," she says of her upcoming trip abroad - at least five weeks without phone, performances and her trusty electronic composing software. "But after this kind of year, I wanted to take a break."

In the next month, Granieri will find herself sitting before a group of students in the depths of a Romanian orphanage in Valea Screzii, in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains - ready to play them songs on the piano.

"I'm told there's a piano sitting there, waiting to be used," Granieri says. So, no matter that the kids won't understand lyrics in English. Granieri intends to do what she often does with her other audiences - find a way to slot music into their lives.

The purpose of the trip isn't just to get a well-deserved change of pace from real life - where the 26-year-old Egg Harbor Township woman teaches music at two local middle schools.

Her move also distances her from the grasp of what she calls the music industry's "fantasy world."

"Much of the music industry isn't really interested in the real musician," she said. "It's devoted to selling a persona."

In the struggle to get their music out, many musicians find labels and promoters package their work - a strategy Granieri wants to avoid by choosing to focus on assignments that showcase her work on television, rather than pursuing a standard record contract.

Granieri used to attend music-industry conferences, where she would pass out demos and perform at artists' open-mic sessions, determined to draw the attention of a label.

"The worst thing you can say in the music industry is, 'I don't sound like anything you've heard.' That drives people crazy," she said, recalling those industry open-call sessions. "They want you to be able to point to existing artists and say, 'I sound like this.'"

At the same time, however, that approach can not only influence the marketing of the music, but the artist herself.

"They might decide, 'Hey, you're a Feist sort of artist,'" Granieri said, referring to the Canadian singer-songwriter. "But then they want to dress you in these quirky outfits, all to fit that."

Frustrated with that approach, Granieri signed with Taxi, a service that connects independent musicians with recording and broadcast opportunities. In response to a query for songs by female songwriters, Granieri submitted a track from an album she recorded in 2007. The song, "Former Stranger," landed on the "Bad Girls Don't Cry" compilation. The disc, released so far in Europe and Korea, also features songs by Winehouse and Duffy.

"That's what's so funny - most folks in the U.S. haven't heard of that compliation," she said.

Yet more and more independent artists have turned to similar unconventional ways to get their work onscreen and on record, according to Anthony Cozza, who handles member services for Taxi. "We're really here to level the playing field for our artists," he said. Record companies and screen-music scouts, who would not normally accept unsolicited tracks, contact Taxi with specific requests.

"In an industry that's centered in New York, L.A. and Nashville, a lot of artists in other parts of the country don't have easy access to these sorts of opportunities," Cozza said.

Granieri found a novel connection at Taxi's own industry conference last November, when she helped out David Trotter, who heads the Studio 51 agency. While other musicians were snowing him with demo tapes, Granieri listened to Trotter complain he was having trouble sleeping - and gave him a pack of earplugs.

"He then came to hear me play at the artists' showcase," she recalls now. "And he signed me on the spot."

Trotter and Studio 51 provide much of the music to Harpo, Oprah Winfrey's music library service.

Out of disbelief, Granieri asked him to put the contract in writing - which he did, on a hotel memo pad. But the deal is serious. Granieri provides a wide selection of instrumental tunes by certain deadlines, for addition to the Harpo library.

The musician has just competed 30 melodies to appear during crowd-pleasing segments on Winfrey's show. Not that you might know all of those notes are Granieri's.

Known as "bounces," the tunes are designed to smooth the segue into or out of a television segment. The songs are cataloged by mood, to fit whatever the necessary tone might be. Some sound serious, as if to follow a documentary item. Others are more lighthearted or romantic. They could crop up on air at th - Atlantic City Press

"Dressed in a flower on black peasant blouse, blue jeans and bare feet, ANJ'S appearance is reminiscent of the 1960's coffehouse singers who sang of reflection and change. Her sound brings to mind Sarah McLachlan with a bit of Norah Jones. Her voice is as rich, deep and flexible as the lyrics she composes."

- RJ Liberatore, The Current, September 1, 2003

Andrea Granieri spent a lot of her time as a teenager sitting in the dark.
But she wasn't simply resting in a chair.

She was seated at a piano in a small room near the garage of her family's home, creating music. The only audience for her piano and vocal harmonies was the darkness around her.

Granieri preferred for the lights to be turned off. She was playing music that was solely for her and that she did not dare share with anyone else.

"If I was playing in the dark, I could think easier and it would come out easier," Granieri said.

The secrecy made for peculiar encounters with family members who would investigate and find her seated in a dark room. It's also in contrast to the Granieri who now openly performs for others and has had her music appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

The watershed change for Granieri came late in her teenage years at a music performance held at the Gateway Theater in Somers Point when, in a selfless rescue, she stepped in for a friend who panicked before going on stage.

"It was for the love of my friend," said Granieri, who had been there to watch.
To this day, she remembers what she was wearing and the enthusiastic response from the audience - but not how to play the first original song she unveiled to others, a piece about a girl at school who had recently revealed she was gay.
Still, the performance stands as a moment of revolution.

"It's the song that changed everything," said Granieri, 27.
She began pursing any opportunity to perform, starting at open mikes and coffee houses, just to feel the reaction of audiences to the collection of her personal songs.

"I was so into 'I play and people like it,'" said Granieri, who uses the name "Anj" when performing. "I'm communicating with them and they're communicating with me."

It was also the first time she stepped out alone to show off skills she began accumulating years earlier.

Granieri grew up in Linwood.

Her father, Carl, is a jazz musician with his own music business and orchestra. An aunt and Carl's sister, Nancy Orlando, gives piano and vocal lessons.

That made it all but a family tradition for the children to learn to play the piano. Granieri was taught just like her siblings and cousins when she reached about age 5.

"I just don't remember not always playing," she said.
But the family roots did not make her a prodigy.
Granieri said of the six family children who took piano lessons, she struggled the most. A box of tissues was a constant presence atop the piano as she coped with frustration.

Orlando remembers Granieri's grief.
"She cried for about four years - and then did very well," said Orlando, of Linwood.
Granieri's improvement in ability led her to begin giving lessons of her own to children at age 14. She still gives private instruction and also works as a general music teacher at the Fernwood Avenue and Alder Avenue middle schools in Egg Harbor Township.

But besides a source of income as a youth, music became an outlet for her to express herself and overcome being bullied in school.
"I connected with it as a way to have a voice," Granieri said.

After she stood in for her friend, Granieri's musical growth included many feats.
She received a degree in music from Rowan University, independently recorded two albums, began to play in casino venues and moved to New York for a time to perform.

"She has just grown beyond what I thought she would in my dreams when she started," Orlando said.

Another breakthrough came a year ago, when at a convention in Los Angeles, she signed a contract with a company that provides music for Harpo Productions, which produces "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

It was an unexpected opportunity for Granieri, who impressed a music rep during an open mic show in what she said now stands as the "best weekend of my life."
She composes songs of different genres for the company, which submits them among a library of music to Harpo, so it's never initially clear what will happen to her songs. But each of the 11 songs created by Granieri has eventually appeared during portions of the show.

While continuing to play the occasional local show, Granieri is preparing a one-woman musical theater show for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival in September. The show is about the trials of her teenage years and will draw upon her theater experience as a student at Holy Spirit High School.

Granieri said it will be an opportunity to combine several passions and further share her story.
It will also be one step further from sitting in the dark.
Contact Christopher Ramirez:
609-272-7147
CRamirez@pressofac.com
To learn more
For information on performances by Andrea Granieri and to listen to her music, visit www.
myspace.com/anjmusic - Atlantic City Press

Anj, a 20-something from the South Jersey area. She's been singing and playing piano since she was a child and it shows.

This record intrigued me right away. The cover art is quite interesting, a girl drowning in a bathtub of pennies. And what the heck does "Coin and a Half Girls" mean anyway? Well, I can't say that now, even after repeated listens I am any closer to an understanding. But that's OK. You don't have to understand art, right? Right?

The songwriting is really very good. I really like the melody on "Former Stranger" which is the third track, but the first full song. I love the piano part on this song. In fact, I just plain love that she plays piano and very well, too. Here the piano gives this song an almost cabaret sound.

On some of the mellower songs I can see where the Carole King comparisons come into play. I'm seeing this especially on the beginning of "Ivory". It's a very pretty song.

The piano on "Late for Life" is incredibly beautiful. Really makes me wish I could play better (must call for lessons). The vocals and phrasing here reminds me of another musician, Pepper McGowan (http://collectedsounds.com/cdreviews/badstars.html) , who sadly, I think has left he business.

Her lyrics are also very impressive. Very well thought out, intelligent. If you like piano rock-pop (more edgy than pop in this case) you should surely check out Anj and "Coin and a Half Girls" whoever they are.

- Amy Lotsberg, Collected Sounds Magazine

Anj, a 20-something from the South Jersey area. She's been singing and playing piano since she was a child and it shows.

This record intrigued me right away. The cover art is quite interesting, a girl drowning in a bathtub of pennies. And what the heck does "Coin and a Half Girls" mean anyway? Well, I can't say that now, even after repeated listens I am any closer to an understanding. But that's OK. You don't have to understand art, right? Right?

The songwriting is really very good. I really like the melody on "Former Stranger" which is the third track, but the first full song. I love the piano part on this song. In fact, I just plain love that she plays piano and very well, too. Here the piano gives this song an almost cabaret sound.

On some of the mellower songs I can see where the Carole King comparisons come into play. I'm seeing this especially on the beginning of "Ivory". It's a very pretty song.

The piano on "Late for Life" is incredibly beautiful. Really makes me wish I could play better (must call for lessons). The vocals and phrasing here reminds me of another musician, Pepper McGowan (http://collectedsounds.com/cdreviews/badstars.html) , who sadly, I think has left he business.

Her lyrics are also very impressive. Very well thought out, intelligent. If you like piano rock-pop (more edgy than pop in this case) you should surely check out Anj and "Coin and a Half Girls" whoever they are.

- Amy Lotsberg, Collected Sounds Magazine