Eleni Mandell – Artificial Fire
by Bambi Weavil
Eleni Mandell
Artificial Fire
Official Site: http://www.elenimandell.com/
Official MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/elenimandell
Releases on February 17, 2009 on Zedtone
Eleni Mandell is a incredibly talented and critically acclaimed songwriter with a singular gift for writing wry, literate songs that synthesize jazz, country, folk, blues, rock and pop..and this is the best album I’ve heard so far this year.
There’s something fresh yet classic, vulnerable and pop precise, about her sound. Artificial Fire builds on her 2007 breakthrough success, Miracle of Five, adding a more direct, full-band sound to Mandell’s sharp-edged tales of romance, lust and love.
“Artificial Fire” belongs on any suspense movie soundtrack, sexy and dark and absolutely perfect title track and way to start off the album. “Needle and Thread” to keep her together, and plays more on the rock/pop sound that works for Mandell. “God Is Love” is almost a brooding hymn meets testimonial with the ever-talented guitarist Jeremy Drake’s riffs, and the haunting lyrics: “God is love and appreciation / don’t miss the mark.”
“Right Side” is simple, easy pop about love, but it’s “Personal” that lights up this album. “Personal” is intimate as the name suggests, poetry pop, and twinkling wants and smoke rings of truth: “I wish the quiet would end/ With a telephone ring / Could a friend turn / Into a different thing?”.
“It Wasn’t The Time (It Was The Color)” is full of vivid description and narration with the confidence of “one look and he’ll remember.” “Bigger Burn” is a pop-rock song with some influential 80s/new wave lingering, that literally burns in feeling about a relationship burning itself away as it goes along. It was a great choice by Mandell, and I’d love to see the song more experimented with. The song still has room to cut loose and really rock out.
“Don’t Let It Happen” is more of Mandell honoring the purest of easy-going, classic pop sounds, she is classic at creating music that equates to floating on air effortlessly. A mark of a great artist is someone who can create emotional atmosphere and paint a very clear picture without taking the listener way of their own experiences and Mandell is quite the artist. “In The Doorway” is the perfect example: a great storytelling pop song that does everything it’s supposed to do and creates a clear mood.
Mandell rocks out without any limitations in “Cracked”, one of my favorite liberating songs and is the perfect way to end this must-have album and end a relationship: “I’m cracked for you / My fog has been lifted / I’m cracked for you / My continents have drifted.“
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