Sufficiently recharged via
Taxi,
Ferry got down to business and the following year released
Mamouna, notable among other things for being his first recordings with the help of
Brian Eno since the latter split from
Roxy Music back in 1973. Rather than playing the wild card as he so often did, though,
Eno concentrates on (to use his own descriptions in the credits) "swoop treatment" and "sonic awareness." Slightly more to the fore are
Ferry's usual range of excellent musicians and pros.
Steve Ferrone once again handles drums as he did on
Taxi, while
Richard Norris also reappears on loops and programming; other familiar faces include
Nile Rodgers,
Robin Trower (the album's co-producer), and
Carleen Anderson. One of the most intriguing guest appearances comes at the very start -- "Don't Want to Know" has no less than five guitarists, including none other than
Roxy's own
Phil Manzanera. Whereas his '80s work seemed to fit the times just so, with his own general spin on things providing true individuality as a result, on
Mamouna Ferry seems slightly stuck in place. Compared to the variety of
Bete Noire,
Mamouna almost seems a revamp of
Boys and Girls. Combine that with some of
Ferry's least compelling songs in a while, and
Mamouna is something of a middling affair, almost too tasteful for its own good (and considering who this is, that's saying something). 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. ~ Ned Raggett