Earlier this summer, L.A. folk music fixture Eleni Mandell came out with her 11th album, Wake Up Again. Between some of her songwriting students and collaborations with musicians like Tom Waits, Chuck E. Weiss, and Tony Gilkyson, she’s developed a real knack for telling stories in her songs. Frequently they’re about people and places that find themselves on the margins, or have a noir twist to them. There’s almost always a little something under the surface if you listen closely.
Ghost Of A Girl is one of the tunes on Wake Up Again. It’s an acoustic folk number that sprung up from an assignment given her students that she completed herself: write about a meaningful object. In Mandell’s case it started as a ring from her grandmother, but morphed into the idea of feeling the spirit of the previous owner of a dress. It’s a wistful and elegant country shuffle, with just the right bit of melancholy. Best of all, she decided to do a video with it, and we’re pleased as can be to offer the premiere here for Twangville readers.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.