Leslie Mendelson

Modeling her music after such '70s icons as Carole King and Joni Mitchell, singer/songwriter Leslie Mendelson began making waves in 2005, when the homespun debut album Take It as You Will expanded her fan base beyond her adopted New York City. One newfound fan was Joel Dorn, an influential jazz producer and record label exec, who helped Mendelson ink a contract with Rykodisc Records. The young singer then focused on a new batch of material, working alongside songwriter Steve McEwan and the Spin Doctors' Aaron Comess to shape the sound of her sophomore album, Swan Feathers.