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BRYAN FERRY
Mamouna Expanded Edition 2xLP featuring Horoscope ( BMG )
Bryan Ferry ’ s solo catalog is a treasure trove of sophisticated and romantic pop , particularly the material that took Roxy Music ’ s 1982 swan song Avalon as a point of departure . 1985 ’ s Boys and Girls with “ Slave to Love ” and 1987 ’ s Bête Noire with “ Kiss and Tell ” are frequently cited as high points , but this reissue is here to remind listeners that Ferry was in command of his elegant magic when he released 1994 ’ s Mamouna . 30 years after the album was overwhelmed in a pervading sea of Britpop , the Robin Trower-produced album returns for reassessment . The album isn ’ t remembered for a standout single , with the turbulent and melancholy single “ Your Painted Smile ” coming closest . Nonetheless , the debonair and low-lit tone of the album coalesce into a moody and evocative whole . Mamouna may have missed contact with the masses , but it completes a trilogy of original studio albums that many in Ferry ’ s cult consider to be essential . Ferry ’ s voice is characteristically understated and rich on the opening track , “ Don ’ t Want to Know ,” about a character desperate to be his lover ’ s everything even as she slips through his fingers . The song ’ s groove is tight and tense , with a lack of bombast that pulls the listener forward to attention . The song features the distinctive and funky rhythm of Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera as well as sonics from early Roxy Music bandmate Brian Eno . The streetwise , simmering funk of “ N . Y . C .” finds Ferry crooning as a slave to the energy and rhythm of the city . “ Your Painted Smile ” follows , with Ferry ’ s halfmuttered vocal traveling like a whispered secret . The title track , “ Mamouna ,” reacts to a partner who feels confined and trapped in a relationship . “ Mamouna run ,” sings Ferry gently , urging his lover to claim her freedom . With Ferry ’ s graceful piano and a world-music-informed substructure , the song is reminiscent of Peter Gabriel ’ s spacious headphone excursions . Guy Pratt ’ s wah-wah bass adds to the intoxicating midnight textures of “ The Only Face ,” inspired by Greta Garbo and set on a night under the Havana moon . “ I want to be alone ,” intones Ferry as a wounded spirit in need of time to heal . During “ The 39 Steps ,” Ferry ’ s wary character wants to make a move with the right
partner , but not too quickly . Chic ’ s Nile Rodgers adds terse rhythm guitar to a restrained track that joins Nathan East ’ s steady and soulful bass with Steve Ferrone ’ s taut drumming while echoing the Temptations ’ “ Papa was a Rolling Stone .” Manzanera returns with subtle guitar figures alongside Neil Hubbard and David Williams during “ Which Way to Turn ,” which finds the singer locked in a moment of doubt and confusion . Eno ’ s distinctive keyboard sounds are drawn to the foreground during the urgent “ Wildcat Days ,” demonstrating the ambient music pioneer ’ s sharp pop-art sensibilities . The remainder of the exotic arrangement is awash in reverb . The Roxy reunion continues with the addition of Andy Mackay ’ s saxophone to the layered coda . Mackay ’ s saxophone reappears more prominently during the spooky “ Gemini Moon .” The song ’ s swampy tremolo guitar drifting suggests John Fogerty moonlighting with Duran Duran . The song ’ s protagonist presses forward with mad ardor despite navigating dubious omens and voodoo signifiers . “ Chain Reaction ” finds Ferry down on his knees and pleading for consummation . Guy Fletcher of Dire Straits joins on lush keyboards as Ferry duets with Jhelisa Anderson ’ s purred vocal . The surprising bonus for this reissue of Mamouna is the inclusion of Horoscope , which was originally intended to be the follow-up to 1987 ’ s Bête Noire . Ferry reportedly became dissatisfied with progress and paused to work on the covers project Taxi before starting from scratch to create Mamouna . It was ultimately a good call . Mamouna is the stronger work , but Horoscope offers a highly listenable glimpse into Ferry ’ s process . Five Horoscope songs were reworked for Mamouna , while “ S & M ( Midnight Train )” and “ Loop De Li ” appeared 20 years later on Avonmore . “ Desdemona ” stretches beyond the running time of its Mamouna counterpart , “ N . Y . C .,” with extra verses that ride along with trips on the A train and excursions to Birdland . The Horoscope version of “ The Only Face ” rides a conventional drumbeat and lacks the mystery of the spacious Mamouna arrangement . Horoscope concludes with an expansive nine-minute version of “ Mother of Pearl ” that is reinterpreted in the subdued and smoldering mode of the bulk of Ferry ’ s solo output . In other words , the update would have made a better fit on Avalon without the bristling glam-rock inflection of the original from 1973 ’ s Stranded album .
The 2xLP set arrives on heavyweight vinyl and features new cover artwork . Inside the gatefold , the suave Ferry cavorts onstage with a pair of decadently attired cabaret models . The set was half-
14 illinoisentertainer . com april 2024