Eleni Mandell-Country For True Lovers-Reissue-CD-FLAC-2007-THEVOiD

                              DRIFT INTO THE VOID
 Info   
     Artist  | Eleni Mandell
     Title   | Country For True Lovers
     Genre   | Folk-Rock                            Format  | Album
     Source  | CD                                   Time    | 44:42
     Label   | Zedtone Records                      Store   | 2007
     Catalog | VVR1045462                           Rip     | 2020
     Bitrate | 785 kbps                             Size    | 263.38 MB
     Freq    | 44.1 kHz                             Encoder | FLAC 1.3.1
 Tracks 
     01. Another Lonely Heart                                        4:21
     02. Don't Say You Care                                          4:24
     03. I've Got A Tender Heart                                     2:41
     04. It's Raining                                                3:08
     05. Kingsport Town                                              4:30
     06. Tell Me Twice                                               2:46
     07. Refrain                                                     3:20
     08. Iowa City                                                   2:11
     09. You're All Bad (And That's Why You've Been Invited!)        2:43
     10. Don't Touch Me                                              3:58
     11. Home                                                        3:54
     12. Blue Ribbon Eyes                                            4:15
     13. Full Moon (Bonus Song)                                      2:31
 Notes  
     Singing and writing in a style that fuses vintage outsider cool with
     contemporary settings and ironic wit, Los Angeles' Eleni Mandell introduced
     her smoky, punk- and jazz-detailed noir sketches on Wishbone in 1998. She
     later paid tribute to country classics on her fourth album, 2003's Country
     for True Lovers, before re-embracing to her trademark sound on the next
     year's Afternoon. Also a member of indie rock group the Grabs and the
     Andrews Sisters-influenced Living Sisters, her solo output in the 2010s
     included albums such as her Yep Roc debut, 2012's I Can See the Future, and
     2019's Wake Up Again, which was informed by her time teaching songwriting
     in a women's prison.
     Mandell takes a different approach with this album, offering up a batch of
     gin-soaked, traditional honky tonk numbers that bring to mind previous
     singers like Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, and Patsy Cline. The introductory
     "Another Lonely Heart" has the singer giving a credible performance that
     nails each tear-at-your-heartstrings note. Greg Leisz has an important part
     on the song with a great pedal steel guitar solo, but it's the mix of
     whispery jazz and country that Mandell excels at.
     "Don't Say You Care" falls along the same vein, with the slow and mournful
     melody carrying the song. "Refrain" is another quality performance, as
     Mandell does her best rendition of a tune screaming to be performed at
     Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. An interesting cover is Merle Haggard's "I've
     Got a Tender Heart," which has a definitive upbeat swing. "I'll get over
     you and make a brand new start," she sings behind a stellar cast of
     supporting musicians. The flow each song has can't be underestimated,
     giving each a timeless quality. A departure from the country mold is the
     blues-tinged "It's Raining," a number that seems a bit out of place here.
     One of the album's high points is the sparse yet cozy Celtic folk feeling
     on "Kingsport Town," a tune that predominantly resembles Cowboy Junkies.
     "You're All Bad (And That's Why You've Been Invited!)" is a tad wordy in
     places, but it has a punchy, bouncy Bonnie Raitt quality that works. "Home"
     consists of just vocal, acoustic guitar, and pretty backing harmonies that
     could be mistaken for Alison Krauss, except for the French verse. Overall,
     it's an album well worthy of its title.
     Originally released in 2003, here's the 2007 European reissue featuring a
     special bonus track.

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24M	01-eleni_mandell-another_lonely_heart-thevoid.flac
26M	02-eleni_mandell-dont_say_you_care-thevoid.flac
17M	03-eleni_mandell-ive_got_a_tender_heart-thevoid.flac
18M	04-eleni_mandell-its_raining-thevoid.flac
27M	05-eleni_mandell-kingsport_town-thevoid.flac
18M	06-eleni_mandell-tell_me_twice-thevoid.flac
18M	07-eleni_mandell-refrain-thevoid.flac
13M	08-eleni_mandell-iowa_city-thevoid.flac
18M	09-eleni_mandell-youre_all_bad_(and_thats_why_youve_been_invited)-thevoid.flac
22M	10-eleni_mandell-dont_touch_me-thevoid.flac
22M	11-eleni_mandell-home-thevoid.flac
22M	12-eleni_mandell-blue_ribbon_eyes-thevoid.flac
12M	13-eleni_mandell-full_moon_(bonus_song)-thevoid.flac
252M	total