Miracle Worker

Eleni Mandell sings so casually, so falling-off-the-shoulder, that she tricks you into thinking she's talking to you. With her limpid new Miracle of Five (Zedtone), Mandell sounds more translucent than ever on songs that were recorded vocals first, with teh backing applied later. Not that the music is an afterthought, when the backup band includes musicians like guitarist Nels Cline and drummer DJ Bonebrake. it's just that her vocie has never been so forward, or quite so present. The LA-born Mandell already has five records to her credit, but Miracle of Five seems like a breakthrough: less sullen, less genre locked than much of her past work. She's made her jazz statement, her country statement - and they were sharp too. But here, while there are traces of coutnry, folk and Tin Pan Alley, they are bound with gossamer threads. Song like "My Twin" and "Make-out King" are quietly bright, gently sad, and like her voice, hard to get out of your head. - RJ Smith