Search - Ray Stevens :: Osama-Yo'Mama

Not Ray's best offering.

Michael Hickerson | 03/23/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Steven's first CD of new material in several years is something of a disappointment. There are a couple of comic gems on the CD--Freudian Slip and Shut Up and Drive--but overall the album is a bit of a disappointment. It feels as though Stevens and company were eager to capitalized on the word of mouth and apparent revival of interesting with the title track of "Osama Yo Momma!" and slapped together an album of songs that aren't up to Ray's usual standards. Stevens is multi-talented--he can be serious and silly all on the same album--and he tries to be so here. But after the initial song and the other two gems, the rest are largely forgettable--or worse yet. One of the songs about a deer in a back seat of a car has the same tune as Ray's earlier hit "Ballad of the Blue Cyclone." There's also the feeling of Ray putting old jokes to music and building up to the eventual punchline instead of the storytelling quality we got with "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" or "Ahab the Arab." If you're just discovering Ray Stevens or have had interest re-awakened due to his new hit, I recommend getting another CD to show how good he can be. The Ray Stevens Colletion or even both of his MCA collections of greatest hits will show how good Ray can be.This album has flashes of brilliance, but never quite lives up to expectatations."

Yeah, we got yo' terror right here...

Jerry McDaniel | 01/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the hook lines abound on "Osama Yo' Mama" and the material on the CD is his standard satire and country comedy. "The Hustler" is even better than what it spoofs, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers. "Bon Temps Roulette" is beyond description but it has a nice Cajun feel to it. "Deerslayer" is hilarious and i don't care about it's melody sounding similar to "The Blue Cyclone". I listen to the words anyway and it's a funny story of a hapless man who has what he thinks is a dead deer wake up and go wild in the back of his car! "The Lady on the Radio" is a satire on call-in shows and "Gone For Good" is demented. It's interesting that this CD (on CURB Records) was released to showcase the hilarious "Osama Yo' Mama" single but what many people don't know is that seven of the ten tracks actually appeared two years earlier on his 2000 CD on his own record label, CLYDE. That CD, entitled 'Ear Candy', also featured the hilarious attack on the legal system, "No Lawyers in Heaven", left off from the 2002 CURB album primarily because of it's offensive satire...which would look rather odd on 'Osama Yo Mama' which closes with the majestic lets love one another ballad "United We Stand"."

Pretty good, but Ray's done better

Mark Twain | Albuquerque, NM United States | 12/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first Ray Stevens CD I bought after hearing "Osama-Yo'Mama" on the radio. I agree, "Deerslayer" is a knock-off of Steven's own "Ballad of the Blue Cyclone", but I like "Deerslayer" better anyway. The rest are ok, "Bon Temps Roulette" is hilarious. Buy this, if not for originality, for the novelty."