Eleni Mandell
Miracle of Five
(Zedtone ***)

"Moonglow, Lamp Low" is the first song on Eleni Mandell's new album, and it sets the tone for the rest of the set. It's a yearning reverie taken at a languorous pace and exuding a late-night intimacy, the basic acoustic-guitar accompaniment punctuated by mournful sax.

This is Mandell refining the low-flame torch style she developed over her previous albums. She sometimes did it before with more overt country flavorings (although there are traces of banjo, dobro and steel here), but the Los Angelena stills writes with the terse straightforwardness of a country tunesmith. The result is as spellbinding as ever, as the evocative songs steadily build emotive power without losing their sultry, atmospheric mood.

- Nick Cristiano