Track Listing

1. Dance the Night Away
2. Tell Me Why
3. I Should Know
4. Someone Should Tell Her
5. To Be With You
6. I've Got This Feeling
7. Fool #1
8. I Don't Even Know Your Name
9. I Hope You Want Me Too
10. Melbourne Mambo
11. Dolores
12. Save a Prayer
13. Dream River

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33222 in Music
• Released on: 1998-03-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Time was when pop radio was an amazingly eclectic place. The Mavericks' latest, Trampoline, bounces between pop styles so effectively that it almost sounds like the world's greatest old-school pop station. "Tell Me Why" is brassy blues-soul like B.B. King was scoring with in 1970; "To Be with You" is countrypolitan down to its strings and backing choir, while "I Don't Even Know Your Name" could be a long-lost Hollies recording. Throughout the disc, we're offered touches of everything from Beatles-esque sitar to Herb Alpert horns, and all of it's pure, powerful pop. The standout, though, is "I've Got the Feeling," which captures the sprawling sound of '70s Elvis with all of the sincerity and magnificence required, and without a jumpsuit in sight. --David Cantwell

People
With this ambitious, wildly diverse album, [lead singer Raul] Malo just might be bucking for another [award.] Here he leads his four-member core group ... as well as a small army of sidemen.... [Malo] sits in on drums and piano, plucks a six-string bass and even plays an instrument that might make some Grand Ole Opry stalwarts head for the exits--an electric sitar. Tackling gospel, rock, honky-tonk and even tunes from the '20s, [he] seems intent on expanding his, and country music's, reach. Thanks to his gorgeous vocals and his band's virtuoso playing, most listeners will be happy for the stretch....

Customer Reviews

Perfection
"Perfection" is the rating a CD gets when every song is a gem; when you want to skip around to your favorite tracks, but can't because they're ALL so good. I heard the Mavericks perform "Save A Prayer" on TV before this album was released and I haunted my favorite stores until I found it. I bought the CD for that track, but keep the CD in my player for all of the others. "Dream River" is so beautiful, it almost brings me to tears. If you're looking for pure country, don't buy this album. If you're looking for pure pop, don't buy this album. But if you're looking for top-quality music, don't pass this album up!

No Bad Songs
One of the blessings of the CD-era is the ability to skip less-favorable songs. With this album you don't need to. From start to finish, this is a billiant tour of the song-writing talent of Raul Malo. Highlights include the the subtly deceiving Latin sounds of "Dance the Night Away" and the misty-eyed nostalgia of "To Be With You." The old-time Gospel sound of "Save a Prayer" will get your feet tapping, and the mellow, soothing sounds of "Dream River" is a perfect way to end a fantastic album.

Country music with horns
Ostensibly, this is country music but, despite the inclusion of a steel guitar, a banjo and some acoustic guitars, this album cannot really be described as country - even using contemporary definitions. Along with the aforementioned instruments, there are electric guitars, organs, pianos, drums, strings and a full horn section including trumpet, trombone, saxophone, flute and clarinet. Of all the instruments, the horn section is the most important but what makes the album so successful is that, despite the plethora of musicians, the overall fell of the album is relaxing and the musicians never get in the way of the outstanding voice of Raul Malo.

The album didn't fit easily into any popular category, which may explain why it became far more popular in Britain (where radio stations generally play a broad range of music) than America (where radio stations cater for specific audiences). The first single (Dance the night away) made the top five in the UK pop charts, much to my surprise and delight. There are many other great songs here, all of them originals.

This is an outstanding album, very different from their previous album (Music for all occasions) or indeed anything else they've recorded. Country fans may not appreciate it (unless they have eclectic tastes, like me) but if you enjoy high quality, easy listening music, you might enjoy this album.