We here at KCRW pride ourselves on bringing you some new, cutting-edge artists at the very beginning of their careers.
But we also like to celebrate longevity and prolific artistry.
LA-based singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell has been releasing records at the rate of nearly an album a year since 1998, both as a solo artist as well as with band projects like the Grabs or the Living Sisters.
Never do her records resort to faddish sounds or utilize fancy production tricks – she mostly sticks to smart folk-pop with occasional touches of blues and country.
Her forthcoming album, “Dark Lights Up” (out 7/24 on Yep Roc Records) will be her 10th solo album, and if anything it is her most straight-forward release yet, stripped down to Mandell and her band recording the songs live in a matter of just four days, represented by the new track, “Someone to Love like You“.
Having worked long enough to trust her own strengths, her lyrical songwriting and her supple voice, she shows no signs of stopping now, and we appreciate that.
ERIC J. LAWRENCE