“Magic Neighbor,” Lisa Germano’s eighth solo release, opens up with a string and piano driven instrumental that exemplifies the late-night solitude and lullaby mood that persists throughout the album. The compositions are minimal but not desolate, oftentimes bursting with lively, warm tones and delivering unexpected digital flourishes. The mostly melancholic sentiment that Germano captures is, on songs like “Simple,” conjoined with carnivalesque sound-aspects that lead the listener to think she is enjoying her float upon the seas of solitude more that dreading it. Most alluring about this record is the instrumentation, especially the songs when the piano stands alone, leaving spaces for Germano’s forlorn feelings to linger. Unfortunately, the vocals distract from this simplicity having been pushed out to the front of the recording, thus overpowering the detailed and complex instrumental work. In addition to their volume, the jejune lyrical content does not match well with the sonic sophistication. 6/10 -- Elliott Sharp (10 February, 2010)