Mandrill Albums (10)
'Live at Montreux 2002'
Release Date 9/19/2006
Tracks 10
Label Wilson Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Their second album for Arista, 1978's New Worlds was Mandrill's self produced and updated, plunge into more mainstream waters. Hoping, perhaps, to capitalize on some of the disco gold that propelled much lesser musicians to the top of the charts, many of the songs on New Worlds have an infectious groove and panache more suited to the dance floor than to the fusion lounge inhabited by the band's long time fans. And, even though the set is still smooth, slick and fastidious, ultimately the album foundered because of the change. Both "Having a Love Attack" and "Don't Stop" became club staples, although any presence on the R&B charts totally eluded both singles. That honor was given to the jazzy, and smoothly R&B flavored "Don't Stop". Just a little over three and a half minutes long, the song was radio friendly in both size and scope. Opening with a taste of the era's ubiquitous strings, and playing out like some soft soul hit, it may have scored the band a Top Forty R&B hit, but it soured with fans, who had come to expect so much more. However, that's not to say there aren't a few fine nuggets to be found as both "Mean Streets" and "Third World Girl" pick up the slack.By this late in the game, Mandrill had certainly lost some of their initial sizzle, while various members had come and gone, furthering the disintegration of the style that drove their early heyday. And, sadly, all this is reflected across New Worlds. It may have been part of a new era for the band, but sadly, for many, New Worlds was just tired. ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 1977 Mandrill showed signs of having listened to fusion and had more or less left the Latin rock behind. The African influences were also granted less room on their records, and if they still stuck out from the bulk of funk bands, the gap was slowly closing. We Are One starts with the two dance hits "Can You Get It" and "Funky Monkey," complete with inspired monkey screams. These are maybe the strongest tracks on the album, with great percussion work, fat basslines, and building horns. And ironically, in being just excellent funk numbers, they are also proof of Mandrill losing some of the creativity that made them different from most other funk bands. But if it is true that one won't find rumbling African drums or musical journeys through all Afro-American musical styles on this album, the rest of the songs do offer a banjo-esque guitar, a harmonica solo, and some distorted rock riffs, all uncommon in late-'70s funk. And even if some of the songs are a little tired, a tired Mandrill is more than just a another band trying to sound like Parliament. ~ Lars Lovén, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With four superb and nearly flawless albums under their belt, it was no surprise to anyone when raves began pouring in for the group's ambitious August 1974 double, Mandrilland. Recorded in the swampy, seething backwater of Bogalusa, Louisiana, the album proved by far to be the band's most sophisticated set of jams to date, thankfully in spite of the replacement of guitarist Doug Rodrigues for the departing Omar Mesa.Although the set is packed with deliciously smooth grooves, it's clear that the band were continuing to experiment with bright clatters and brash beats -- one spin through "Road To Love" provides a map through some of the best jazz/funk/Latin fusion, as notes tumble down into empty spaces before being lifted up by the hush of the vocals. It's an eclectic vibe, and one which plays beautifully off the quiet soul hook of "Khlida", a song which uses Carlos Wilson's flute and various vibes and synths to add Mandrill sparkle to what could otherwise have become a bland instrumental. Elsewhere, of course, Mandrill kick up classic, brassy funk on "Positive Thing" -- an R&B Top 30 hit -- while inflecting a little bayou blues into the often overlooked "Folks on a Hill". ~ Amy Hanson, All Music Guide
'Beast from the East'
Release Date 1/1/1976
Tracks 10
Label United Artists
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It lacked the delicious hooks and tight funk of Composite Truth, but Just Outside of Town was as solid and confident a piece of music-making as the band ever accomplished. The single "Mango Meat" is a tough Latin funk number with some inspired group harmonizing, and Mandrill stretched out with a pair of love songs, "Never Die" and the aptly titled "Love Song," the latter beginning with a few minutes of atmospheric bliss that boasted unrealized cinematic/soundtrack possibilities. "Fat City Strut" moves back and forth between blasts of brass-powered funk and the sweet seduction of Latin percussion and a vibes solo. The distorted funk monster "Two Sisters of Mystery" is another classic, one that later enticed producer Gary G-Wiz to sample it for Public Enemy's "By the Time I Get to Arizona." The last two songs were very uncharacteristic for Mandrill, one a bluesy/country song with a pop gloss, the other an ambling instrumental led by an acoustic guitar and including a few out-of-place synthesizer shadings. It certainly wasn't Mandrill going out on top (for an album, or for its period at Polydor), but it certainly summed up the promise of one of funk's most courageous bands. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Composite Truth is Mandrill's most successful album, commercially as well as artistically. Although the band's sense of freewheeling experimentation had been tempered, its gradual transition to a straight-ahead funk band was made perfect with two of the biggest hits of its career: "Hang Loose" and "Fencewalk." "Hang Loose" is all over the place (in a good way), moving from a grooving funk jam to mid-tempo guitar skronk and back, all part of an impassioned call to peace. "Fencewalk" also had several transitions, with a crooning chorus and an extended middle section powered by heavy brass and a screaming guitar solo. Elsewhere, Mandrill turns in a very convincing impression of a salsa band ("Hágalo"), breaks into killer loose-groove funk ("Don't Mess With People," with a splendidly undecipherable vocal), and stumbles only with the long, rasta-fied San Francisco tribute "Polk Street Carnival," featuring a bass part that would make even a student smirk. (For such a strong band, Mandrill's basslines were often uncharacteristically weak.) In the main, the songs on Composite Truth were catchier than on its first two albums, and the band never appeared subservient to the sense of experimentation that had troubled it before. Even if on Composite Truth Mandrill sounded more like other funk bands of the time, no one could argue with the fact that the results were more exciting and consistent. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Apparently learning from the mistakes of its debut, Mandrill crafted a follow-up with fewer stylistic detours than the first record, but much more energy and greater maturity. The two singles, "Ape Is High" and "Git It All," are unhinged performances from all involved that have the sense of musical invigoration so key to a funk band -- and so sorely lacking on this band's debut. "Children of the Sun" is a somber, flute-led piece, much more assured and better-conceived than anything on its first record (it also showed how well Mandrill could've done soundtracking a blaxploitation film). The guitars are much more prominent on Mandrill Is; in fact, both "Git It All" and "Here Today Gone Tomorrow" have passages almost reminiscent of metal's heavy riffing. The first two compositions from Claude "Coffee" Cave are big successes, "Cohelo" being a traditional Latin form and "Kofijahm" a tribal funk piece. Not everything works, however: the spoken-word piece "Universal Rhythms" is a tad over-ripe, with a raft of unpoetic, pseudo-mystical nonsense over backing from an angelic choir. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mandrill's debut isn't half the album it could've been, since the band's talented musicianship and desire to experiment were often subverted -- by ambitions of pop success as well as a dry, over-serious approach to music-making. The three Wilson brothers, though masters of over a dozen instruments, still hadn't mastered the added burden of songwriting; "Warning Blues" is perfunctory (as is the vocal performance) and "Symphonic Revolution" is a bland summer-day soul song with cloying strings. The group sounds much more confident getting into a good groove and allowing room for some great playing; the band's self-titled song, "Mandrill," is the best here, featuring great solos for flute and vibraphone. Mandrill also loved playing with different musical forms: "Rollin' On" moves from an average rock song to a torrid Latin jam and climaxes with a testifying gospel session. Most ambitious of all is the five-part, 14-minute suite "Peace and Love," but the intriguing concept is negated by a few bizarre pieces, one of which sounds like a parody of a Vincent Price reading over a Santana jam. The band would soon learn that experimentation and stylistic change-ups were a means, not an end. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
