Eleni Mandell
Artificial Fire
Zedtone Records
By George W. Harris

If you ever wondered what happened to The Pretenders, look no further. Singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell has a new release which follows up her 07 “Artificial Fire,” and it shows her slightly eccentric songwriting skills and Chrissie Hynde-influenced voice backed by an indie style of rock that used to be called “new wave” back in the 70s. Sort of dark, edgie, but with mixes of country, rock, jazz and blues, she tells interesting stories of hopeful and hopeless relationships. A bit of Joni Mitchell with an punkier attitude.