Bryan Ferry - Mamouna

Ferry at his finest

This is probably my third favorite Bryan Ferry CD, following "Boys and Girls" and "Bete Noire." It maintains the atmospheric production of those two CD's (this time courtesy of Robin Trower) and also ponies up with some great writing from Ferry.

The players all pitch in with great work. Old Roxy friends Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Brian Eno contribute to most of the songs, along with notable musicians like Maceo Parker, Nile Rodgers and Pino Paladino. They all pile on rich, lush layers of sound, buoying Ferry's timeless tenor. While "Mamouna" is probably one of Ferry's lesser known albums, I probably return to this one more that, for instance, "Taxi" or "Frantic." If you prefer Ferry's work in the "Avalon" era, then "Mamouna" will probably be to your tastes.
May 23, 2007

I CAN UNDERSTAND

why some here don't like this. It doesn't bowl you over. The songs are subtle.

I was struck by Ferry's maturity. The guy was good to start with. He's now an expert at mixing and arranging music. The arrangements are precise and spatial within a transparent mix. To enjoy it you are going to have to pay attention. It's not background music to rock out on.

I just went on a long auto trip with probably 150 CDs and this was one of the standouts. May 2, 2007

Ferry's masterpiece

I love this album from start to finish because it has everything a Roxy / Ferry fan could want in an album: ambiant techno noises (courtesy of Eno), melancholy lyrics and melodies, and a whole array of musical talent. What I love most about this album is that while on the surface it's a very melodic album, when you listen to it on headphones, there's so many little tweets, beeps, and rattles you would normally miss. Moreover, there are so many little nuances about this recording that make it very similar to Roxy Music's first album and even some of David Bowie's Berlin albums. What more could you want? May 4, 2006

love Ferry, hate the covers

When Bryan Ferry writes and preforms he does great and I can't get enough of it. When he is just preforming other's music, he is just another garage band. I found this one uninspired. On the other hand, his Frantic, and Bete Noir albums are maybe qwirky but are much better. When he is 'on', like Boys and Girls, he can't be beat. April 6, 2003

A grossly underrated masterpiece

Bete Noire & Boys & Girls are my favorites from Bryan. Mamouna in my opinion is Bryans third best work to date. Released in 1994, it unfortunately didn't recieve much notice when it was released. A shame it didn't because Mamouna is one of Ferrys strongest works in his catalog. What makes this CD great is that the music is rich and depth and it has a sort of warmth and punch that 1993s 5 star album Taxi lacks IMO. The only thing that dogs this record down is that Ferrys singing sounds a bit tired and even a bit sloppy especially the last track Chain Reaction. Other than that Mamouna still ranks as one of Bryans most consistent albums in his catalog. My favorites are Your Painted Smile with it's dreamy rhythms, The 39 Steps with it's driving rhythms and the ambient technoish Wildcat Days.

DON'T WANT TO KNOW-8/10 This track kicks off Mamouna with a dark cloudlike atmosphere and funky guitars laced with ambient dreaminess. This track could fit on Boys & Girls.

NYC-7/10 NYC is another good track with a bluesier sound. This track could've fit well on Taxi.

YOUR PAINTED SMILE- 10/10 Beautiful! This track is one of the best songs Mamouna offers. It's an eerie track with a jazzy vibe. I love the part of the track that runs from 1:32 to the around the 2 minute mark.

MAMOUNA-10/10 Another beautiful track. The title track is a haunting track with wobbly guitars. This track is one to hear to know how it sounds like.

THE ONLY FACE-6/10 This track needs time to grow on you. It's a mellow and eerie track with a slightly creepy feel to it and minor note melodies.

THE 39 STEPS-10/10 This is one of my favorite songs off Mamouna. It's a very upbeat yet moody track with driving rhythms and a Bete Noireish feel. This track to me kind of continues the punch that the masterpiece Bete Noire has. Definately one of the best songs on here.

WHICH WAY TO TURN-8/10 This is a mellower track with electronic sound effects laced with slightly late 80s sounding keyboards and guitars. A gorgeous song.

WILDCAT DAYS-11/10 YES! This is the winner on Mamouna. WD is an aggressive techno influenced number with ambient guitar aways and very stormy atmosphere sort of like severe thunderstorms. This song in my opinion is Ferrys strongest song since Bete Noire.

GEMINI MOON-8/10 Did Ferry take All Tommorrows Parties and move it to Mamouna? No offense but this track is almost dead identical to ATP with very similar bass hooks, the same chords, and the right kind of feel except that this track has less ambience and more bluesier sounds. A great track though. Just sounds almost too much like All Tommorrows Parties and I like that song too. Don't get me wrong.

CHAIN REACTION-9/10 Can we say SPOOKY! This final track from Mamouna is a hook laden track with strange percussion and a very eerie and haunting feel. The only thing that dogs down this track is that Ferrys singing on Chain Reaction often gets a bit sloppy and tired and it can be a bit grating(To me anyway). Brushing the cons aside though Chain Reaction closes Mamouna on a great note. The last 40 seconds are spooky especially with the echoing pianos at the last fifteen seconds.

Mamouna is highly recommended for the Bryan Ferry fanbase! :) Enjoy! August 20, 2002

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