Eleni Mandell: Miracle Of One
By Lynne Bronstein
miracle of five

There’s a good critical buzz around Eleni Mandell’s new album, Miracle Of Five. Some of that buzz compares her to other female singer-songwriters like Laura Cantrell and Norah Jones. But Eleni Mandell is her own person and her style is rooted in some unique concepts, among them the unusual fact (in today’s high-tech world) that she plays a nylon stringed acoustic guitar.

Story appears in issue # 25   Buy Issue

Brandi Carlile: Telling The Story
By Peter Vouras
The Story

Music journalists, myself included, tend to clump artists into neat little categories that are easily definable and accessible. “Oh, they sound like…or she is the new incarnation of so and so.” But every once in a while someone comes along that shakes up the status quo. Enter Brandi Carlile. With a distinctive voice and deftly crafted songs, Carlile blazes a new path. On her upcoming release, The Story, Carlile delivers a slice of American life. It’s bluesy, rock-y, funky and folksy with a healthy dose of old-fashioned harmonies and arrangements. Veteran producer T-Bone Burnett was brought in to produce The Story. “I decided to have T-Bone produce the album because I’m a big fan of O Brother Where Art Thou,” says Carlile, “We had a great conversation previous to recording the record and he explained to me his philosophy of recording live and recording to tape. He brought that knowledge and an amazing collection of vintage instruments, which were the only ones we ended up using on the record.”

Story appears in issue # 25   Buy Issue

Jeremy Enigk: The Wait Is Over
By Dean Truitt
World Waits

With more than a decade since releasing the follow-up to his exceptional debut, Return of the Frog Queen, Jeremy Enigk christened his second effort, World Waits, which undoubtedly echoed the eager anticipation his loyal fans had undegone for what seemed an eternity.

Story appears in issue # 24   Buy Issue

Katrina Parker: Dreaming and Beyond
By Dean Truitt
Only Dreaming

Driving down Sunset Boulevard last week, I saw an image I thought I would never see. I passed the iconic Tower Records with a marquee that simply read, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.” My entire life, I never believed that such an establishment would ever permanently close its doors. While the R.E.M. quote couldn’t be more accurate for anyone loosely associated with the chain retailer, perhaps a more appropriate lyrical farewell would have been, “The times, they are a-changin’.”

Story appears in issue # 23   Buy Issue

Regina Spektor: Finding Quirky Hope
By Lynne Bronstein
Begin to Hope

The word critics love to use for Regina Spektor’s music is “quirky.” That’s the easiest way to describe songs with lyrics like “Hey remember that time I found a human tooth down on Delancey” and “Summer in the city means cleavage, cleavage, cleavage.”  

Story appears in issue # 23   Buy Issue

The Stills: Changes May Be Good
By Mandana Beigi
Without Feathers

The Stills took the world by surprise with the release of their debut album in 2003. Logic Will Break Your Heart was a work of genius – one of those rare albums that crawls into the soul and somehow soothes the pain and fills up all the emptiness. I must admit that as a huge Nirvana fan, and after years of not having a favorite band, I found what I was searching for in this Canadian four-piece from Montreal.

Story appears in issue # 22   Buy Issue

Slow Motion Reign: Welcome The Future
By Mandana Beigi
Slow Motion Reign

Besides the fact that this album carries the name of Serj Tankian (System of a Down) as the producer, it is also one of the finest alternative rock releases to come from the US this year. Slow Motion Reign’s self-titled debut record exudes the kind of mood and sensibility that we are used to hearing from Brit-rock bands - no rough edges and no radical shifts, but energetic and mesmerizing, nonetheless.

Story appears in issue # 22   Buy Issue