June 9, 2004

AFTERNOON

Eleni Mandell

With alt-rock's favorite sexpot, Liz Phair, making goo-goo eyes at Avril Lavigne's fan base these days, the music biz is in dire need of a sultry chanteuse for adults. Norah Jones is way too wholesome for the job, and while Lucinda Williams is a contender, the alt-country queenpin's erratic, honey-I'm-not-in-the-mood approach to making records can leave fans feeling like spurned lovers pining for just one more passionate kiss.

Enter Eleni Mandell. The Los Angeles-based singer has been releasing fine albums at a regular clip since the late 1990s, the first of which, "Wishbone," earned her persistent comparisons to the likes of Tom Waits and punk siren PJ Harvey.

Those analogies aren't completely off the mark, but Mandell's music has a softer focus than that of those gritty luminaries -- and "Afternoon," her latest CD, is Mandell's kindest and gentlest yet. It's also her sexiest. "Hands will come together, gloveless, when I get home," she offers with a wink and a nod on "American Boy," the disc's torchy opener. On the rockabilly-inflected title track, Mandell wants to be "your good time girl," while on the heavy-breathing twangfest "Dangerous," she "can't wait to get my salty lips upon your fingertips."

Mandell also asks a lover to wave his magic wand on that one -- proof positive that until Phair gives up on the Xbox set or Jones finally gets her mind in the gutter, Mandell is the sexpot to watch.

This "Afternoon" is a delight.

-- Shannon Zimmerman, Washington Post