Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and Grammy Award-nominated artist, Leslie Mendelson has released her new album, After The Party via Pasadena Records / Royal Potato Family. Her fourth full-length recording to date, this latest effort finds Mendelson collaborating with not one, but three producers: the legendary Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt), the young, in-demand Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Sara Bareilles, Sara Watkins) and her longtime songwriting partner, three-time Grammy Award-winner, Steve McEwan. Recorded at Jackson Browne’s studio Grove Masters in Santa Monica, CA, she was joined by an ace band featuring guitarists Waddy Wachtel and John Jorgenson, bassists Leland Sklar and Derrick Anderson, and drummers Jim Keltner and Abe Rounds.
"Collaboration was so important to me with these songs. My previous album, If You Can’t Say Anything Nice… looked inward and was often colored by the dark socio-political climate circa 2018 and 2019 when it was written. Throw in the pandemic during which it was released, and it just became really clear that I needed to have fun making music again," explains Mendelson. "When the opportunity presented itself to have both Tyler and Peter produce me, along with Steve who’s been with me since the very beginning of my career, it felt as if the stars had aligned and were demanding that I indulge in the joy of creating with all of these musical geniuses who wanted to work together."
Throughout After The Party’s ten tracks, Leslie Mendelson crafts a distinctive folk-rock, pop-Americana flavor, evoking the sounds of Laurel Canyon, but with the downtown grit and sharp wit of Brooklyn, the city she has called home for over two decades now. There's a refreshing realness and effortless musicality that feels both nostalgic and new on songs like "Rock And Roll On The Radio," "Signs Of Life," and "I Know A Lot Of People." The album’s first single "Other Girls" is an intoxicating twist of aural voyeurism mixed with a healthy dose of sexual openness. Other standout tracks, "Have a Little Heart," "The Good Life" and the title track offer warm musings on a life worth living and a newfound appreciation for the little things.
"I would love for this record to connect," continues Mendelson. "I think there’s something in there to speak to people. There are personal moments, there are moments of fun, where you can turn it up loud and sing along, and there are moments of reflection. This record is an emotional journey, and I hope that people can take it with me."
With her enchanted voice and evocative songwriting, Leslie Mendelson has won the hearts and minds of both an adoring fanbase and fellow artists alike. No less than Jackson Browne has declared, "Leslie's melodies are timeless. They reach me way back in my youth somewhere. I hear traces of Burt Bacharach and Carole King, and hooks and passages that remind me of the pop songs I grew up hearing on the radio," while The Wallflowers' frontman Jakob Dylan shares: "Voices like Leslie’s can get away with almost anything. Along with being a great songwriter, this leaves her with few if any peers."
"Leslie is one of these very rare singers who can combine elegant precision with the soul and emotional resonance of a deeply moving writer and performer," concludes producer, Peter Asher. "She has a remarkable voice and one we need to hear."
Leslie Mendelson will play a string of headline shows this summer after wrapping select support dates with Rhett Miller,The Wallflowers and Roger Daltrey. On Wednesday, June 26, she'll celebrate After The Party's release with a hometown show at New York City's City Winery followed by shows in New England, as well as, California dates in July.
Leslie Mendelson After the Party is out now
on 180-Gram Vinyl, CD and Digital Formats via Pasadena Records/Royal Potato Family
LESLIE MENDELSON
Tour Dates
6/26 - New York, NY - City Winery
6/27 - New London, CT - Garde Arts Center
6/28 - Keene, NH - Showroom @ The Colonial Theatre
6/29 - Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
7/18 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall
7/19 - Redwood City, CA - Sound Union
7/20 - Santa Monica, CA - McCabe's
8/4 - Amagansett, NY - The Stephen Talkhouse
8/16 - State College, PA - The Attic at State Theatre
8/18 - Easton, MD - Stoltz Listening Room
9/17 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
9/19 - Statesville, NC - Old Jail Listening Room
10/5 - Norwood, MA - Fallout Shelter
10/6 - Willimantic, CT - Bread Box Folk Theater
10/17 - Findlay, OH - Armes Hall
