German import.
In the wake of Ricky Martin's cross-cultural block party, {|"Livin' La Vida Loca,"|} comes "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)" by crooner-rapper-lothario Lou Bega. Rooted in a sample of backside-bustlin' beats and fanfare horn hits (courtesy of Cuban mambo ambassador Perez Prado), "No. 5" throws electro-funk, pop-hop bounce, and a whole lotta sweet-smellin' cheese into a frothing pot of sassy soul sauce. In that vein, the rest of Bega's full-length debut, A LITTLE BIT OF MAMBO, is a mix of dizzyingly lighthearted, summertime escapism -- from the fluffy doo-wop flavored "Baby Keep Smiling" to the hip-hop-tweaked Caribbean getaway "Icecream" to "Beauty on the TV-Screen," a lonely guy's lament that brilliantly bites the Tokens' 1961 classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Sure, Bega's blustery singing is pretty ham-fisted and his quasi-raps aren't likely to woo GZA's market share, but the karaoke abandon of his vocals do possess a certain charm, and any Beck or Cornershop fan who can't find the fun in this gloppily poppy, post-modern mix of Afro-Cuban, Latin-American, Afro-American, and Italian-American good vibes is in hipster denial.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
1 Mambo No. 5 (a Little Bit of...) 3:41
2 Baby Keep Smiling 3:11
3 Lou's Café 0:58
4 Can I Tico Tico You 2:54
5 I Got a Girl 3:15
6 Tricky, Tricky 3:26
7 Icecream 3:50
8 Beauty On the Tv-Screen 4:01
9 The 1+1=2 4:04
10 The Most Expensive Girl In the World 3:47
11 The Trumpet, Pt. 2 6:05
12 Behind Stage 1:17
13 Mambo Mambo Version Originale / Version 3:01
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