If you replace Cowboy Junkies’ Velvet Underground affections with touches of jazz, but keep the mood subdued, you will approximate what Eleni Mandell has created with Miracle of Five. Jeff Turmes in particular, who adds a jazzy saxophone solo to “Moonglow, Lamp Low” and contributes gypsy clarinet to “My Twin,” helps give Mandell’s music its late night, jazz club feel. Mandell is one of those minimalist, less-is-more singers, although producer Andy Kaulkin provides Mandell far more rhythmic propulsion than Margo Timms usually receives during typical Cowboy Junkies hearse rides. While Mandell (just barely) has the beat, her singing is nearly whisper quiet most of the time. She veers closest to narco-pop on this disc’s title track - with its nighttime trail ride, clip-clop momentum - for a musical vehicle one can well imagine Timms riding. The dreamy feel of Mandell’s music is supported by her lyrics. During “Girls,” for instance, she worries about a lover’s bedtime thought life. “Do you still dream about girls, girls, girls?” she asks. It is difficult to dispute the unspoken musical truism that the slower the tune, the sadder the sentiment. But Mandell rarely sounds downtrodden during these consistently geared down tempos. Surprisingly, her gentle tones come off instead like Disney movie lullaby reassurances, causing one to slow down, stop worrying and relax.
~ Dan MacIntosh
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