Rock That Babe

The Mammals | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Signature Sounds
• ASIN: B0001L3LKE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,617 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bluegrass Blast, June 15, 2004

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rock That Babe (Audio CD)

The Mammals' sophomore effort is a blast of bluegrass-flavored energy performed with gusto. From the opener "Fall On My Knees," they attack the music with energy as Ruth Ungar sings, "You've told me more lies than there are stars in the sky; you'll never get to heaven when you die." "The Bush Boys" is a bit risky for a band to take a strong political position since part of your audience is not going to agree. However, if you're part of the population who are not fans of President Bush, this will seem hilarious as Mammals apes part of the "Mockingbird" tune, "Hush little baby, don't you cry, daddy's going to buy you an alibi; If that alibi don't work, daddy's going to bribe the county clerk; If that county clerk don't bribe, daddy's got Congress on his side; If that Congress still don't budge, daddy's in tight with a Supreme Court judge." It's heady stuff and may only be timely for a limited time. If Bush wins in the fall, Bush critics can enjoy this one for the next 4 years. Tao Rodriguez is the grandson of folk legend Pete Seeger and plays banjo, guitar & mandolin in the best folk tradition as on the instrumental "Reel Du Bebe." "Father William" is a dark tune about sins of the clergy. "Bad Shoes Blues" is a great kitchen sink protest song that combines overseas labor abuses, genetically engineered vegetables and pro-choice causes. The traditional "John Henry" is a tune that Tao learned from his grandpa, performed in an energetic reading of this traditional tune. "Pearls" is a standout track with an interesting lyric & a Dylanesque vocal reading by Michael Merenda. Ruth Ungar's "Tinderbox" is a haunting mournful melody, "There's a spark inside my mind that contradicts all the sparks that burn around it; one day it might be a fire if that far-off feeling ever found it." Pete Seeger's "Quite Early Morning" is given a loving gentle recitation. Mammals' "Rock That Babe" is a good set of folk tunes filled with energy and sterling musicianship. Enjoy!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars rock this cd, May 25, 2004

By 

Jonathan Willis (Brighton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rock That Babe (Audio CD)

The Mammals play with an incredible amount of energy, and this cd does the best job yet of capturing their dynamic style on disc. Ruth Ungar's vocals really shine on several of the tracks (notably "Fall on My Knees" and "Tinderbox"), not to mention her fiery fiddle (esp. on "Hellgate"). The addition of bass and drums to the more traditional old-timey instruments works much better than you might think--each is complementary, neither overwhelms the rest of the band, and the effect fits well with their propulsive style.

While I highly recommend this cd, I even more highly recommend seeing The Mammals live (check their website for touring info). They give one of the best shows that I've seen in any genre of music--Michael Merenda is a first-rate songwriter and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger's energy really gets the crowd engaged. They obviously love to play together, which makes for a great time all round!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rockin', August 29, 2005

By 

B Newington "audiofile" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rock That Babe (Audio CD)

This album rocks. I was lucky enough to catch the Mammals live with Arlo Guthrie and they were absolutely fantastic.