What sounds like an early-model Casio playing "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" quickly gives way to a classic Perez Prado riff. On top of it all, Lou Bega--born in Germany to a Ugandan father and Italian mother--hoarsely exho... more »rts the floor to "Mambo No. 5." A runaway hit in more than a dozen countries, it's an agreeable trifle, if ultimately not as charming as "Macarena" proved to be a few summers back. Throughout this cash-in album, Bega comes off like a cross between a less clever Tone-Loc and a less inspired Buster Poindexter. If there's a great Europop-Cuban fusion in the making, its standard-bearers will have to come up with more durable trashy fun than this. --Rickey Wright« less
What sounds like an early-model Casio playing "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" quickly gives way to a classic Perez Prado riff. On top of it all, Lou Bega--born in Germany to a Ugandan father and Italian mother--hoarsely exhorts the floor to "Mambo No. 5." A runaway hit in more than a dozen countries, it's an agreeable trifle, if ultimately not as charming as "Macarena" proved to be a few summers back. Throughout this cash-in album, Bega comes off like a cross between a less clever Tone-Loc and a less inspired Buster Poindexter. If there's a great Europop-Cuban fusion in the making, its standard-bearers will have to come up with more durable trashy fun than this. --Rickey Wright
Steve S. (Reno-ness) from ARROYO GRANDE, CA Reviewed on 5/23/2007...
Lou can Mambo!
Roland M. from BERKELEY, CA Reviewed on 12/7/2006...
Lively and fun! This includes the famous song Mambo Number Five.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Candice J. (pibblegrl) from MERIDEN, CT Reviewed on 9/7/2006...
Slight cracks on case.
0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Annette B. from LONGVIEW, WA Reviewed on 8/15/2006...
its definately a very lively album a really good dance cd thats for sure but unfortunately my dancing days are over,lol, disc plays very well i just listened to a few of the songs just to make sure sounds great
0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Joalice M. from CROYDON, PA Reviewed on 8/9/2006...
This is still a good fun song to dance to and be silly with.
Joan G. from INVERNESS, FL Reviewed on 8/8/2006...
you gotta dance to this one; you can't help but dance!
CD Reviews
Immature, but it will get you moving
Cara | USA | 12/10/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Lou Bega's cd is everything it is said-it is sexist and demeaning to women, and it is immature. But, when you get past all that, there is a cool sound behind it that will make you dance, a little at least. If you don't take his lyrics too seriously, you'll enjoy the cd."
Lou Bega should be cleared of all charges as a 1-hit wonder!
thelightmemyselfandi | Las Vegas, NV | 02/05/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD doesn't deserve the rep it has gotten! The success (and ultimate downfall) of Mambo #5 shouldn't be used to judge Lou's talent. I love how he really doesn't have a great voice, but it's a great compliment to the mambo music. His voice is fun, no other word for it. You'll probably not even listen to Mambo #5 after you buy the CD, which is a good thing, because there are a couple of great songs. Let's get one thing outta the way first: yes, every song sounds alike, but hey, this is the year of teen pop, so who's to complain? The best songs on the album are: I Got a Girl (whih is like Mambo #5 in terms of lyrics, but it's way funner), Tricky Tricky (great video, by the way), Ice Cream (a little slower track, which works well in the middle of the CD), The Most Expensive Girl in the World, 1+1=2, and Beauty on the TV Screen. You can feel the vibe of the CD, and you start to think that "Lou doesn't care if he's being buttered by critics, he just wants to make us smile.....and tap our toes.""
Refreshingly different
Jennifer J. Morelli | Scotland, CT USA | 01/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am a 40 year old mother of two boys who listen to pop music all the time. When I heard A Little Bit of Mambo, I just couldn't keep my feet still. I love every song on the CD except for Tico Tico... that one is a little too much like rap for me. If you like songs that make you want to dance, you'll love this CD."
I love this cd!
Jennifer J. Morelli | 11/29/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If i was to judge cd by how much i listen to them, Lou Bega would be one of the greatest cd's ever. I can't stop listening to it. Most of the songs are great. I loved Mambo #5, Keep on Smiling, I've Got a Girlfriend Everywhere, and Beauty on the TV Screen. The songs i like the least is Icecream and Tricky Tricky. I just wish there were less swearing though."
My Late Afternoon at Work Guilty Pleasure CD of the Month
Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 09/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I received this CD last Christmas from an office mate as something of a joke gift. But I am forced to admit "A little bit of Mambo" has become something of a guilty pleasure. Along with "The Best of Blondie" this album by Lou Bega has become one of my "late afternoon get me through the end of the work day" CDs. This is mambo with a techno twist and the rhythms can get your toes taping."Mambo N. 5" is certainly becoming old (I don't know if I ever heard a song get exploited by the artist for so many different television commercials so quickly) but there are several other songs on which you can become hooked. My favorite parts musically are usually when the horn section kicks in (e.g., "The Tumpet Part II" and "Mambo Mambo") and I especially like the steel drums on "The Most Expensive Girl In The World." These are not classic songs, but they sure are catchy little tunes.The hyperbolic lyrics are such that you can not take them seriously enough to consider them sexist (My favorite: "I got a girl in Paris, I got a girl in Rome, I even got a girl in the Vatican Dome"). Lou Bega is one of those classic lounge performers where you look at his vocal talent and you know there is not much there but you have a fun time being in the room when he performs. I do not expect to own another Lou Bega album or even another Mambo album, but I do expect to be listening to this one for some time to come, especially when the clock hands at work are moving too darn slow."