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Representing the Mambo

Little Feat - Representing the Mambo Audio CD

A fair review of the Little Feat "Representing the Mambo" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Little Feat reviews here, or go back to the Little Feat tabs.

Band: Little Feat
Title: Representing the Mambo
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-03-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Texas Twister 2: Daily Grind 3: Representing the Mambo 4: Woman in Love 5: Rad Gumbo 6: Teenage Warrior 7: That's Her, She's Mine 8: Feelin's All Gone 9: Those Feat'll Steer Ya Wrong Sometimes 10: Ing�nue 11: Silver Screen

Best Feats Ever.
A broad range of many styles of music. Having been a Little Feat fan for over 30 years, I find that this recording is their best total effort by far. Amazing guitar work on "Texas Twister", and "Teenage Warrior" The shuffled beat of "Daily Grind" to the funky "Rad Gumbo". The music is a must for any "Feats" fan. And a different type of treat any music lover.

Hey, Craig...you know what? THANK you, man...THANK you.
Yes, Zappa threw Lowell out of The Mothers and told him to start his band. Man oh man, for band as universally loved as Little Feat, did they CATCH IT when they reformed after Lowell's passing. Yes, Lowell's indelible stamp is all over the albums he made. But Little Feat was. . . and IS. . . a BAND, and I don't think Lowell would have wanted the amazing, quirky, passionate band he started to go to the grave with him. Craig Fuller stepped in for "Let It Roll," "Representing The Mambo," and "Shake Me Up". . . then he was gone (and is currently back in his original band, Pure Prairie League). But virtually everything he did with Little Feat was memorable, in some cases stunning, and this album features a couple of his best tracks. Start with "Teenage Warrior". . . as Fuller howls "It's a pretty hard thang, to keep gettin' back up after BEIN' knocked down," Paul Barrere steps in on guitar and WAILS. Just WAILS. "Daily Grind" and "Feelin's All Gone" are two more Fuller tracks that stand with Feat's best. It's not all about Craig, though. . . this album doesn't have a bad note or misstep on it. Get the three Fuller albums, as well as "Ripe Tomatos" and "Raw Tomatos" (archive releases featuring live Fuller-era tracks). THEN ask yourself if Lowell is grinning like a madman in Heaven. My money's on "Hell YES. ".

Their best from the Craig Fuller era
While there is no bonafide classic here like their previous album's title track "Let It Roll", this is a very good album featuring several strong tracks and their musicianship remains top notch. Representing The Mambo is Little Feat's second album since their 1988 reunion and their best album featuring vocalist/guitarist Craig Fuller who replaced the late great Lowell George.

The album starts out strong with "Texas Twister", which recalls "Let It Roll" with Fred Tackett's snappy horn lines and Paul Barrere's smooth lead vocals and stellar guitar playing. Barrere's performance on this album is strong throughout as his lead vocals and guitar work highlight the shuffle "Rad Gumbo" and the funky "Woman In Love", both of which along with "Texas Twister" received decent airplay on AOR radio. The eclecticism that is Little Feat is in full swing whether it's on the mid-tempo tracks "Feelin's All Gone" and "Daily Grind", the country of "Those Feat'll Steer Ya Wrong Sometimes", or on a great ballad like the album closing "Silver Screen. " Craig Fuller's lead vocals are strong throughout the album, particularly on "Daily Grind. " The title track is very ambitious and features both strong vocals and exceptional piano work from Bill Payne. "That's Her, She's Mine" is also a great track. But with all of the great material here, the best track here is the jazz of "The Ingenue" which features a catchy piano line and features great vocals from Barrere and percussionist Sam Clayton. The underrated rhythm section of bassist Kenny Gradney and drummer Richie Hayward are in fine form throughout, particularly on "Woman In Love" and "The Ingenue. " The track "Teenage Warrior" is the only song here that isn't up to par. A fine album, arguably the best since their comeback. Highly recommended to all Feat fans including their old time fans who believe that the band stopped making great music after Lowell George passed on. .

Representing Great Music !
There is such a great mixture of flavors, styles, and textures here. Next to "Let It Roll," this is favorite Little Feat CD. . . from cool and funky with "Woman in Love" to slick and jazzy in the "The Ingenue. " In my opinion Craig Perry is the best vocalist by far that Little Feat has ever had and during this period the band was blessed with creative and fresh songs. You can't go wrong with this one!.

It's so sickening when...
. . people refuse to recognize a great band's more recent work because it resembles their earlier product. [I also don't believe that every song written by Lowell made history, or that his sense of rhythm and melody carried a band composed of three other talented musicians at the minimum. ]

Bill Payne describes "Representing" in the "Hotcakes and Outtakes" box set's liner notes as the band's attempt at making a "hard left turn" from their earlier releases. If "Texas Twister" sounds like a different band's song, well, go figure; Fred Tackett has the first songwriter's credit. New membership with new ideas allows bands who began in the Seventies to remain vital, and Fred's one of their auxiliary players who became a full partner when they reunited in 1987. The jazz arrangements with which Bill Payne announced his individual presence in the band [i. e. , "Day at the Dog Races", whose keyboard parts Lowell supposedly hated] continue on strong, clever songs like the title track and "The Ingenue". From reading the less favorable reviews, some appear to believe that this album punches the clock and fulfills contractual obligations and nothing else; Little Feat went out of their way to do precisely the opposite.

God knows it's cheap enough with Amazon's used marketers to own, and four songs from this album appear on the boxed set, more than any of their other albums since 1987. Not all of this band's creativity, intelligence and power died with Lowell George, and even casual fans of the Feat would be rewarded by listening to this.

You can see a complete list of all Little Feat discography, or go back to the Little Feat tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.