Customer Reviews

Departure

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am long time Mammals fan. I have loved all their studio and non-studio albums as well as had the pleasure to see them many times live. Still, DEPARTURE surprised me and blew me away. Made up of some amazing musicians, the Mammals have for a long time had their craft finely honed. With this latest album they take their work to the next step as it establishes them as true artists. With each song (whether original or one of their beautiful covers) they create the perfect balance of music, lyrics, and vocals. This balance through-out the album gently whispers love stories in your ear, or inspires your soul, or gives you a glimpse into these peoples' hearts, or comforts you. From song to song, the truth comes through and cannot be denied. You can do what I did; listen to the album, then turn on the radio and listen to some of the multitude of crap that's out there, then be thankful you have the Mammals to take you home.

Anyone who is a fan of the current wave of "new bluegrass", "alt-country", "contemporary folk" (whatever you'd like to call it) really needs to listen to this CD. It is a bit of a departure (hence the title) from their last CD - and a giant step forward. The band's influences come from all over the musical map. Some you'd expect (Pete Seeger, The Mammals' guitarist/singer/banjo picker/harmonica player, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger is his grandson) and some you wouldn't (the band reworks tunes by Nirvana and Morphine - !!). It is hard to pick my favorite track. Standouts include the two covers (Morphine's "Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave" and Nirvana's "Come As You Are"), "Follow Me To Carthage", "Tryin' To Remember What City I Know You From", and "Kiss The Break Of Day" - written about written about their friends and frequent festival-mates, The Duhks. Ruth Ungar's voice and fiddle playing are in fine form throughout. Special guests on this CD are Ken Maiuri and Crooked Still's Aoife O'Donovan. Do not miss them on their current tour. They are great live.

The title says it all - this is certainly a departure for The Mammals. Their two previous studio albums, Evolver and Rock That Babe were both very typical of the newgrass genre. Typical, but still incredible in their own right; boisterous, fun and traditional. While Departure has its moments of their previous rollicking nature, it is by far more focused on the rock side of their overall sound. The first clue to this is the lack of any traditional covers, rather, a cover of the Nirvana hit "Come As You Are" (done incredibly, by the way). The tone of this album is a bit more solemn than previous albums, but they have not lost their freewheeling spirit or folky edginess. They've just matured... a whole lot.

This is the best CD that I have heard in a long time. It's great in every sense. The songs are outstanding: cleverly and meaningfully written; beautifully and sincerely sung; the accompanying music very well played, yet supporting the vocals, not overwhelming them. The production is quite good, a very crisp, warm sound. The opening tune, "Follow me to Carthage," is haunting both sonically and in its word play. The author seems to have captured our times, not in a Phil Ochs sort of way (and god knows I loved Ochs) but more like how "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" or "Closer to the Ground" by the Joy of Cooking reflected their times. The rest of the songs are knock-outs too. There's no filler here. Although the music reflects late Bush's America, it transcends it. This is a work by artists that will be listened to and appreciated for its beauty, rather than its politics, for a long, long time.

This is certainly a more low-key album than the previous. I'd even say that, at times, it leans toward 'bluesy'. Doesn't anyone find the engineering values here to be seriously lacking? Or is it just my system?

I've always loved Ruth Ungar's voice and her fiddle-playing is at least adequate. And the fellows are fine, tasteful players as well. I'll pick "Do nNot Go Quietly...." as a fave here.

I am more fond of their earlier work. This is starting to dive into new sound territory and I like it less.