Eleni Mandell

For several years, Eleni Mandell's cover of Tammy Wynette's "Don't Touch Me" has ended her whirlwind shows on a wary, wistful note. Finally, Mandell commits this tune to record on Country for True Lovers, the pop princess' pitch-black tribute to twang. Given her knack for writing about ruined relationships, dangerously delusional damsels and violent crimes, Mandell seems suited for a Johnny Cash-style spookifying of latently scary standards. Instead, she plays it straight, stripping the menace from her emotive voice and leaving herself vulnerable to a numbing series of steel-guitar-scored heartbreaks. Live, though, when these songs become interspersed with her noir fare, she might have trouble keeping the moods separated. Look for her country laments to become laced with bitter regret and for her temptress tales to get a bit more tender. In both cases, the results should prove fascinating.