Rocktrospectiva: Bryan Ferry's Underrated Masterpiece "Mamouna" Turns 30

 

Released on 5 September 1994 in the UK, "Mamouna" was the ninth solo studio album by English crooner Bryan Ferry, 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 peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned two single "Your Painted Smile" & "Mamouna". 

 

Heavily reinforced by "Taxi", Mr. Ferry return to business and set up to "Mamouna" released the following year, an album notable for being his first recordings with the help of Brian Eno since the latter split from Roxy Music back in 1973. Under the produccion of Nile Rodgers, Robin Trower and Carleen Anderson, and surrounded of fantastic musician to create a decent album fairly compared as a minor "Bête Noire" and a revamp of "Boys And Girls", combining some of Ferry's least compelling songs in a while, so "Mamouna" is a rare magnificent odd, with certain curious songs such as "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.

 

Mamouna is pleasant without being involving, and album that took six years to complete, was poorly received at the time, even Ferry himself, having spent all his money on it, seems ambiguous about it in retrospect. The critical knives were out from the moment it was learnt that over 100 musicians had been involved on it's making, an album with so many layers that demand a repeated listening on a high wuality sound system to realise this is a masterpiece work of superior quality, with its lows and high, and sharp contrasts, with a variety of music styles, with no blues or country tracks, and almost no rock and roll pastiches as well, surrounded of subtle guitars and electronic drumbeats, remarkable tracks are of course "The 39 Steps", "Your Painted Smile" and of course the fine "Mamouna".

 

A fine masterpiece combining amazing sound escapes, great musicianship full of great songs in the Ferry cool style, so many layers of colours and sound fine production, that slowly pushes the listener into a intimate dance. 

Mamouna Track List: 

1. Don't Want To Know

2. N.Y.C.

3. Your Painted Smile

4. Mamouna

5. The Only Face

6. The 39 Steps

7. Which Way To Turn

8. Wildcats Days

9. Gemini Moon

10. Chain Reaction