The Hudson Valley, New York based band The Mammals released their second album Nonet following a decade-long hiatus which ended in 2018 with Sunshiner. While the leaders of the collective Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar recorded Nonet before the pandemic and quarantines hit the States, the album is quite timely in some of the themes it addresses: the common good, environmental responsibility, and resistance to injustice. Nonet is a great listen that blends elements of folk, rock, country, soul, and pop into a warm-hearted set of Americana music that is both hopeful and somewhat soothing during these hard times. For Nonet, Merenda and Unger brought together nine musicians, weaving fiddle, banjo, Hammond organ, steel guitar and more into a rich and intricate sound where you hear new things with each listen. Album highlights include: the ode to a traveling musician’s life in “Coming Down Off Summer”; the folk-country toe-tapper “Beyond Civilization”; the slow rambling “Radio Signal”; the breezy California vibed “What It All Is”; the lighthearted track “You Can Come to My House”; the gospel-soul inflected “East Side West Side”; the sultry cover of Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” (only on the album’s deluxe edition); and the rousing “You Gotta Believe.” The Mammals’ Nonet is a melodic, richly textured set to lush instrumentation; all in all a great listen. – Written by JFelton
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