Best New Age Album – Just Plain Folks 2000
Folk
Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito
The critically acclaimed collaboration spans multiple albums and has earned recognition from the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, New Age Voice Magazine, and publications like Keyboard Magazine, Metroland, and The Woodstock Times.
Discography
ALBUMS
2001 · Hudson Valley Records
Circles in Sand
Singer-songwriter collaboration blending folk and adult contemporary styles. Scott Petito served as producer and engineer and played guitars, bass, mandolin, octave mandolin, piano, keyboards and loops.
2005 · Collective Works!
This Christmas Morning
Holiday‑themed folk/Americana album. Scott Petito produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the album at NRS Recording Studio while playing guitars, bass, keyboards and mandolin alongside Leslie Ritter’s vocals and contributions from Peter Vitalone and Sam Zucchini.
The critically acclaimed collaboration spans multiple albums and has earned recognition from the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, New Age Voice Magazine, and publications like Keyboard Magazine, Metroland, and The Woodstock Times.
Blending ethereal vocals with masterful musicianship. Their critically acclaimed collaboration spans multiple albums and has earned recognition from the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, New Age Voice Magazine, and publications like Keyboard Magazine, Metroland, and The Woodstock Times.
What a voice. Leslie Ritter makes a beautiful sound. And Scott Petito makes the rest of the music happen, masterfully.
— Pure Music Magazine
About Leslie Ritter
Leslie Ritter grew up with musician parents, singing show tunes, Tony Bennett ballads, and Puccini arias by age six. After studying acting at NYU and appearing in several off-Broadway productions, she moved to Woodstock to pursue singing full-time.
Her notable collaborations include James & Livingston Taylor, Dr. John, David Wilcox, Rory Block, John Sebastian, Shawn Colvin, Todd Rundgren, Kris Kristofferson, Artie Traum, Odetta, The Fugs, and Tom Paxton.
Reminiscent of Shawn Colvin, Mary Black and early Joni Mitchell, yet refreshingly unique… a wonderful album!
— Rory Block, Rounder Recording Artist
Before partnering with Scott, Leslie co-founded Amy & Leslie with Amy Fradon. The duo achieved significant commercial success including three internationally acclaimed albums, a VH-1 video, two singles on Top 30 Adult Contemporary charts, and over 25,000 copies sold of their 1994 recording “Take Me Home.”
Awards & Recognition
- Best New Age Album – Just Plain Folks Music Awards 2000 (In The Silence)
- Nominated: Best Contemporary Song – Just Plain Folks 2000 (“Forgiveness”)
- Nominated: Best Celtic Song – Just Plain Folks 2000 (“In The Silence”)
- Folk Album of the Year – New Age Voice Magazine (Circles in Sand)
- Favorite Adult (AAA) Band – Rhythm and News Readers Millennium Favorites Poll
- Best Live Performance – Metroland 2000 Best of List
A little folk, a little pop, a little new age, and more than a little magic. From the pseudo-Mark Isham trumpet and luscious fretless bass to the ‘world music’ wood flute and Udu drums… ‘In the Silence’ is a peaceful genre-buster. Her voice is a caress, and the lyrics are straight from the heart. The production is gemlike—detailed, airy, balanced, intimate, with not a note out of place.
— Jim Aikin, Keyboard Magazine
The Woodstock Connection
The duo’s music is deeply rooted in the Woodstock, NY music community. Their albums feature Hudson Valley luminaries including Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Indigo Girls), David Torn, Steve Gorn, Chris Brubeck, and many others.
They maintain strong connections to legendary artists including The Band—their cover of “Fallen Angel” was dedicated to Rick Danko, and they performed Robbie Robertson’s “Twilight” at Danko’s memorial service.
A performance by Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito is a heady voyage that rises as if from an ancient Celtic mist, tempering the spirit of Ritter’s dulcet tones with Petito’s fluid fret work as a living bridge of jazz-borrowing acoustic soul.
— The Woodstock Times
Gossamer vocals dance through lush dreamscapes on the latest disc from the artful duo. The album overflows with precisely articulated emotion and delicately crafted vignettes, and contains a haunting version of ‘Woodstock’ that would make Joni Mitchell proud.
— Metroland
The voice is lovely, the production lush and polished…
— Will Ackerman, Founder of Windham Hill Records