Track Listing

1. Moonglow, Lamp Low
2. Girls
3. My Twin
4. Salt Truck
5. Wings in His Eyes
6. Make-Out King
7. Miracle of Five
8. Perfect Stranger
9. Dear Friend
10. Somebody Else
11. Beautiful
12. Miss Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20677 in Music
• Released on: 2007-02-06
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
On her sixth album, Eleni Mandell delivers a magnificent, late night, lights-low set -- her sexiest recording yet. Her conversational alto is set beautifully against the reeds (Jeff Turmes, who has backed James Harman and Badly Drawn Boy), guitar (Nels Cline of Wilco), vibes (DJ Bonebrake of X) and her longtime rhythm section of drummer Kevin Fitzgerald and bassist Ryan Feves. Produced by Andy Kaulkin and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith), the album is a sonic marvel. Her captivating songwriting has taken an optimistic turn, concentrating on love found instead of love lost. Already a local hero -- Los Angeles Magazine named Eleni best local singer and the LA Weekly anointed her as best songwriter -- Miracle of Five will open the world to this timeless chanteuse.

Amazon.com
With the conversational intimacy of her phrasing and the torchy romanticism of her most seductive material, Eleni Mandell sounds more than ever like a period piece throwback here. The title track, the opening "Moonglow, Lamp Low," and the closing after-hours-piano-lounge "Miss Me" evoke the sophisticated heyday of Cole Porter and the Gershwins, with saxophonist Jeff Turmes playing Lester Young to Mandell's Billie Holiday. She also displays a penchant for waltzes and lyrical anachronisms (does anybody really speak of "motor cars" these days?). Yet "Girls" and "Make-Out King" sound girlishly coquettish in comparison with such cosmopolitanism, "Salt Truck" seems sing-song and nursery-rhyme slight, and "Dear Friend" suffers from an increasingly busy arrangement. "My Twin," "Wings in His Eyes," and "Perfect Stranger" reflect Mandell's continued growth as a writer, but the album as a whole, despite generally strong production by Andy Kaulkin, suggests that she most needs an editor who can help this eclectic artist focus on what she does best. --Don McLeese

Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2007
"...its mix of emotional heart and musical command marks a move into the major leagues of American singer-songwriters."

Customer Reviews

So beautiful
This is another batch of wonderful Eleni Mandell songs. She is amazing and her songwriting is incredible.

So Very Cool
Eleni Mandell reminds me of the coolest girl in high school who always listened to the coolest bands and wore the coolest outfits. You wished you had her intelligence and her poise. Make Out King is a brillant song that tells the all too familar tale of falling for the wrong person but being helpless to control it. Her voice resonantes with such world weary innocence that you will find yourself repeating tracks over and over again. Like Suzanne Vega her lyrics are a stand out.

Top CombinationT
This CD combines charming lyrics with the relaxed, sensitive singing style of Eleni Mandell and an accompaniment skillfully woven in by an outstanding group of musicians. Each song is an individual treat.