Mamouna is the ninth solo studio album by the English singer Bryan Ferry, first released in Japan on 31 August 1994 and then in the UK on 5 September by Virgin Records. It was Ferry's first album of original material in seven years and he spent six years writing and recording it, under the working title Horoscope. The album was supported by two singles—"Your Painted Smile" and "Mamouna"—and reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart.
The album features contributions from former members of Ferry's band Roxy Music, including Brian Eno who left the band in 1973.
Background The completed new album was ultimately titled Mamouna, rather than Horoscope. The title track, "Mamouna", was written after the release of the single "Taxi".
Brian Eno participated in the production, applying various sound treatments to nearly every track, and co-wrote "Wildcat Days" with Ferry. Former Roxy Music members Andy Mackay (saxophone) and Phil Manzanera (guitar) also made guest appearances, with Mackay performing on two tracks, including "Wildcat Days", and Manzanera contributing guitar to one track.
The painting used for the album cover is the work of the English artist James Ward.
The album was released in September 1994. It reached a peak position of No. 11 on the charts but dropped out of the rankings after only one month. The two singles released from the album, "Your Painted Smile" and "Mamouna", peaked at No. 52 and No. 57, respectively.
Chart performance Upon release, Mamouna peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, and reached number 94 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In Europe, the album reached the top ten in four countries—Austria, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
Critical reception
Reviewing Mamouna for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett wrote, "There are some songs of note—'The 39 Steps' has a slightly menacing vibe to it, appropriate given the cinematic reference of the title, while the Ferry/Eno collaboration 'Wildcat Days' displays some of Eno's old synth-melting flash. Overall, though, Mamouna is pleasant without being involving." Robin J. Schwartz of Entertainment Weekly opined, "This isn't vintage Roxy Music, but with that wonderfully dark, seductive groove, inscrutable lyrics, and cameos from old Roxy cohorts Andy MacKay, Phil Manzanera, and even Brian Eno, it could be." Steven Volk of Rolling Stone noted that Ferry worked on the album for five years, and stated that "the resulting music—dense, richly textured art funk—reflects his meticulous craftsmanship." He added that, "despite the size of the band and the complexity of the disc's rhythms, most of the tunes are elegant and simple."
Alan Jones of Music Week offered a negative review, saying, "Returning to his own compositions here [following the release of Taxi], [Ferry] hasn't quite regained his old form and, from the 10 songs on offer, none compares favourably with his biggest hits of yesteryear." Nevertheless, he added that "the comfortable slow grooves [...] represent a logical progression," and that the "tasteful and pleasant" album will "spin off a couple of minor hits but no more."
Track listing
Personnel Bryan Ferry – lead vocals, acoustic piano (1–8, 10), Oberheim synthesizer (1), various synth sounds (2, 5, 6, 8), synth oboe (3, 9, 10), synth sax (4), Mellotron (4), vocoder (5), Roland Juno-106 (6), Prophet-5 (6), Roland Jupiter-8 (7), strings (9, 10) Brian Eno – various sonics (1, 4–7, 9, 10), sweep treatments (8) Richard T. Norris – programming (2, 3, 5, 9, 10), loops (8) Rhett Davies – programming (7) Guy Fletcher – synthesizers (10) Neil Hubbard – rhythm guitar (1), guitar licks (2, 4, 6, 7), lead guitar (3, 5, 10), guitars (9) Chester Kamen – guitars (1, 3, 4, 7–10), Latin guitar (5), gondola (6), guitar scratches (8) Phil Manzanera – guitars (1, 7) Jeff Thall – guitars (1–4, 6, 8, 10) David Williams – guitar riff (1, 4, 6–8), backing vocals (2), rhythm guitar (3, 9, 10) Nile Rodgers – rhythm guitar (2, 6, 9) Robin Trower – guitars (6) Neil Jason – bass guitar (9) Nathan East – bass guitar (1–3, 5–10) Pino Palladino – bass guitar (4) Guy Pratt – Wah bass (5, 6, 9) Steve Ferrone – drums Luke Cresswell – percussion (2) Luís Jardim – percussion (3) Steve Scales – percussion (9) Maceo Parker – alto saxophone (2) Mike Paice – alto saxophone (7) Andy Mackay – alto saxophone (8, 9) Carleen Anderson – backing vocals Jhelisa – backing vocals (1, 9, 10) Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (2, 9) Yanick Etienne – backing vocals (5, 6) Paul Johnson – backing vocals (6) Nan Kidwell – astrologer (9)
Production Bryan Ferry – producer, art direction Robin Trower – producer Johnson Somerset – assistant producer Sven Taits – engineer Richard T. Norris – additional engineer Simon Puxley – engineer consultant Bob Clearmountain – mixing at MixThis! (Los Angeles, California, USA) Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine, USA) Nick de Ville – art direction, design James Ward – painting Steven Cassidy – photography Andy Gershon – management David Enthoven – management Juliet Mann – management I. E. Management (London) – management company Cohen Brothers Management (Los Angeles) – management company
Charts +Chart performance for Mamouna Chart (1994) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 78
References
External links