(Folk Rock, Vocal Jazz, Pop Folk, Alt-Country) Eleni Mandell - I Can See The Future - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

Whether Eleni Mandell sings of dying embers or smoldering passion, a warm glow imbues the music throughout I Can See The Future. All 13 of these new songs are marked by the wry humor and lyrical economy that have long made her work so striking, as well as the tasteful, empathetic arrangements and timeless songcraft that's always characterized her work.
Produced by Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, The Strokes, White Stripes), the two put together a impressive group of players for the sessions; their combined dream teams yielded a variety of instrumental flavors that complement and frame Mandell’s dreamy, understated singing. The pedal steel guitar of Greg Leisz helps paint the Southwestern imagery of “Desert Song,” saxophonist Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) burnishes the soulful contours of “Who You Gonna Dance With,” and Benji Hughes plays Lee Hazlewood to Eleni’s Nancy Sinatra on the rambling “Never Have To Fall In Love Again.” Joey Waronker plays drums throughout, including the brushed snares of the jazzy “So Easy.” Mandell’s colleagues from vocal trio the Living Sisters contribute backing vocals throughout, while the string and horn arrangements of Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott lend a classic pop sensibility to tunes like “Magic Summertime” and “I’m Lucky.”