Jeff Mamett

As evident from the opening song from “Carry Me Back”, Jeff Mamett is the real deal. This album is pure country not forced country. This is heartfelt country not sit in a cold windowless room on music row working through a formula country. This isn’t about driving trucks and drinking beers by the pool. This is about grabbing your partner and doing the two-step. Like Birmingham Alabama native Jon Byrd is fond of saying about traditional Country Music, this album doesn’t rock … ever, but it sure does roll. - Making A Scene Magazine

If your definition of traditional country includes Guy Clark-style songwriting and the throwback showmanship of George Strait, go out of your way to hear Jeff Mamett's sophomore album Carry Me Back. As a lyricist, he paints vivid worlds--"We lived on love and pennies, way down on Poorhouse Road"--and makes them more colorful with flourishes of Western flair ("Dark Spanish Eyes," "An Outlaw's Song") and John Prine-level wordplay ("Jiggle in Her Wiggle," "Bing Bang Boom").

For the follow-up to 2015's Here's Your Hat..., the singer-songwriter called in some high-profile reinforcements. Childhood friend and Trace Adkins steel guitar player Wayne Addleman produced the album, with additional accompaniment via fellow Adkins side men Brian Wooten, Brent Wilson and John Richardson.

Throughout the 12-song collection, Mamett honors honky tonk heroes, from Ernest Tubb after he stopped singing like Jimmie Rodgers to today's Americana underdogs. -- Bobby Moore - Wide Open Country

REVIEW: Jeff Mamett’s “Carry Me Back” Is A Cattle Drive Down The Plains With A Cowboy Poet
Reviews
September 21, 2018 Mark Joseph Engleson
Like so many of us, Jeff Mamett had to put family ahead of art. Though he began performing at 13, and worked hard at it all through his teenage years, he put music to the side when he and his wife had a family, spending 25 years working in the cattle business. Mamett’s time in the cattle business has clearly influenced his new album, Carry Me Back, his second since he returned to making and performing music in 2013, in its western, cowboy-flavored sound. On “Bing Bang Boom,” he sings “I never let a woman get a hold on me / Like a mustang on the open range.”

But there’s more to Mamett’s Americana sound that just cowboy country. In his time away from the music business. Mamett continued to listen to great artists like Guy Clark and John Prine, and he kept up reading classic American authors like Mark Twain, which you can hear in his music, too. And there are lines like, on “Jiggle In Her Wiggle,” where Mamett sings things like “Beyond metaphysical / I’d say it’s something mystical.”

Mamett plays bass on the album. Brian Wooten provides more than capable acoustic and electric guitar work, and Brent Wilson’s electric guitar solos shine. Wayne Addleman’s (Trace Adkins) pedal steel and “tick-back” bass and Tigar Bell’s fiddle lend country-fried sounds to the album. Addleman also produced the album. This is western Americana guaranteed to get you up in the saddle. Listening to Jeff Mamett sing on Carry Me Back is like being on a cattle drive down the plains along the Mississippi River with Ernest Tubb, Alan Jackson, and George Strait all rolled into one cowboy poet leading the trip. See for yourself, here: https://jeffmamett.com/ - Americana Highways

“JEFF MAMETT/Carry Me Back: ...hits all the right notes in unfurling it's vast charms, you ain't heard nothing like this since we all went back to Luchenbach with Waylie, Willon and the boys. Hot stuff. ”
— Chris Spector -Midwest Record - Dec.2018 - Midwest Record

Carry Me Back

Jeff Mamett

As evident from the opening song from “Carry Me Back”, Jeff Mamett is the real deal. This album is pure country not forced country. This is heartfelt country not sit in a cold windowless room on music row working through a formula country. This isn’t about driving trucks and drinking beers by the pool. This is about grabbing your partner and doing the two-step. Like Birmingham Alabama native Jon Byrd is fond of saying about traditional Country Music, this album doesn’t rock … ever, but it sure does roll.

Like Byrd, Jeff Mamett plays country music the way it is intended. All of the songs on “Carry Me Back” are written by Mamett. Jeff is a story teller and a fine songwriter who carries you back to better days. The album was produced by lifelong friend Wayne Addleman and includes an impressive group of musicians. Jeff sings and plays Electric Bass, John Richardson on Drums, Wayne plays Pedal Steel, Slide, Lap Steel, Dobro and Resonator Guitars as well as Six String “Tic Tac” Bass and Washboard. Brian Wooten and Brent Wilson add Electric, Acoustic and Baritone Guitars. Tiger Bell plays Fiddle and Mandolin. Chris Tuttle plays Accordion. Mike Rogers and Marion Grace provide Backing Vocals.

All of the songs on this album are perfectly driven by Electric Bass and Drums. They keep a steady pulse throughout the album, never taking center stage always the perfect complement.

1- “Poor House Road” is pure country compliments of Slide and Electric Guitars. This will get you on the dance floor. The chorus of “Carry Me Back” is instantly a sing a long and the source of the album title.



2- “Dark Spanish Eyes” hints at zydeco. Six String “Tic Tac” Bass, Accordion, Electric and Acoustic “Flamenco” Guitar’s add a beautiful Spanish flavor making for a unique hybrid of the two

3- “Bing Bang Boom” is pure honky-tonk roadhouse country. Pedal Steel, Fiddle and That “Tic Tac are sure to make this a dance hall favorite.

4- “Jiggle In Her Wiggle” could easily be a Time Jumpers song. Fun lyrics too. “It’s the jiggle in her wiggle drives me out of my mind”. Fiddle, Pedal Steel, and Harmonies combined with smart and fun lyrics. Try to keep still for this one, I dare you.

5- “Off And Running” is another clever lyric smile worthy tune reminiscent of a John Prine Iris DeMent performance. “Off And Running” breaks down to a pure simplicity that draws you to the story by sparking comforting memories that have been perhaps lost. Who doesn’t want to be that couple off and running following their heart.

6- “Feels Like Love” has a Cajun vibe with Fiddle, Washboard, Electric and Acoustic Guitars and Accordion.

7- “Same Old Moon” conveys the deep sadness of being half a world away with the paring of Baritone Guitar and Pedal Steel.

8- “Cold Front” the driving drum beat like a thunder rolls throughout this song.

9- “Long Time Gone” is country swing in all its finery complete with Fiddle, Pedal Steel, Jumping Bass and beautiful harmonies.

10- “Spinnin’ My Wheels” is driven by Dobro, Guitars and Mandolin.

11- “Take It Slow” will have you singing along to the chorus and is beautifully crafted with Pedal Steel, and Acoustic and Electric Guitars. This song has all the ingredients of a fan favorite. A “Carry Me Back” song.

12- “An Outlaw’s Song” has a “Guitar Town” vibe in true Outlaw of Country Music fashion.

“Carry Me Back” is Jeff Mamett’s follow up to his 2015 release of “Hear’s Your Hat”. This is a true Counrty and Western artist. “Carry Me Back” is an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Grab your favorite dancing partner and let the music carry you back. Enjoy.

– Viola Krouse

Visit Jeff Mamett online
www.jeffmamett.com
soundcloud.com/jeff-mamett - Making A Scene Magazine

JEFF MAMETT/Carry Me Back: He looks like he wants to take you back to Elko but he's a country singer in the traditional mode as filtered through the outlaw and outlier lenses. Real stuff for people that live in the country and not the exurbs. Easy rolling stuff that hits all the right notes in unfurling it's vast charms, you ain't heard nothing like this since we all went back to Luchenbach with Waylie, Willon and the boys. Hot stuff. - MIDWEST RECORD -December 28, 2018 , Volume 43/Number 58

For his part, Jeff Mamett is a good old boy, a down home , old school, country troubadour who shares no pomp or pretensions. His is a natural sound akin to those artists once borne from the heartland. His rich, resonant vocals and simple yet sincere sentiment brings to mind a combination of Waylon Jennings and Roger Miller, the sort of sound that was once so predominant in honkytonks from Bakersfield to San Antonio. The instrumental accompaniment underscores that approach, its rousing fiddles and surefire rhythms bringing to mind the songs that inspired square dancing and celebration on a Saturday night where the only intent was to get folks up to mingle and sway to good time music and merrymaking. Consequently, the album title - Carry Me Back - seems apt indeed, a reminder of the way country music served those that enjoyed story and song spawned from homespun homilies. - Gold Mine Magazine, March 2019

Always a storyteller in his songs, Jeff Mamett uses his recent release, Carry Me Back, to introduce a new cast of characters as the honky tonk jukebox spins a song to explain an accelerated heartbeat (“Feels Like Love”). Jeff Mamett recalls hard times (“Poor House Road”), Texas nights (“Same Old Moon”) and drifts across the border as Carry Me Back deal’s a tale woven in rhythms that swirl like desert dust devils (“An Outlaw’s Song”).
While away from time in music, Jeff Mamett spent his days in the cattle business. Wide open territory is still the landscape in the stories of Carry Me Back. Jeff Mamett marks “Long Time Gone” on a vintage Country beat while his attention gets hijacked by “Jiggle in Her Wiggle”, tries to get traction in the breakdown lane with “Spinnin’ My Wheels”, and wraps a thickness in the melody to warm “Cold Front” while Carry Me Back shoots off fireworks for a new love with “Bing Bang Boom”). - The Alternate Root

And here's some REAL Country music too! That's right,
fiddle and steel guitar (or dobro), nice clean and punchy recording too! Jeff's the bass player, singer, and songwriter,
had a history playing clubs, touring and trying out L.A. and Nashville. After a long hiatus to raise cattle and a family he
turned up at some open mikes and got the encouragement it took to put this CD together. My personal thanks to all those
who participated in that encouragement, and in helping record this! I like his original songs, with titles like "No More
Tears," "Hot Tamales," and his baritone vocals as well. Since he's been a cow wrangler, titles like "Horses and Wars"
come very naturally. I'd sure go hear him play live with this band, and so would you if you love the REAL Country music.
I'm sure glad the cover made me decide to try this out! The one non-original song on the 12 song CD is Townes Van
Zandt's "Pancho an Lefty." Jeff also plays acoustic guitar on a bunch of these, and harmonica on the last song, and his
own background vocals are on several. "The Writing's On The Wall" reminds me of another of my favorite discoveries,
Tom Armstrong. A bit of mandolin appears later on "High and Lonesome." The title song actually is a slow Rock beat, but
probably works perfectly for some of the line dancing. "Wanna Stay Mad" also has some Rock feel, but he closes on another tune with the fiddle. I like this guy, and his music! Jeffmamett.com -MB - Blue Suede News review by Marc Bristol

Jeff Mamett began playing out when he was 13, working bars and dances with older musicians. For years he did everything a working musician does: moved to LA and then to Nashville, doing session work, playing clubs and touring as a sideman in other artists' bands.
Then the kids started coming and he decided he needed to be home, so he went into the cattle business. When the kids were safely launched, he played a few songs at an open-mic night and caught the fever again. The result is this album. Mamett calls himself an authentic traditional country singer and claims to be influenced by writers such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt (whose signature song, "Pancho & Lefty" appears on this disc,) Billy Joe Shaver and the rest of the outlaw writers and performers. His own sound, though, lacks the hard edge, the cutting anti-establishment attitude those guys brought to their music. Mamett bring a softer approach; vocally and as a writer, he harkens back to artists like Hank Snow and Hank Williams.
In fact, this album could have come out during the late 1950s, when country music was a distinct sound, when fiddles hadn't yet become violins and backgrounds had not been filled with the Anita Kerr Singers. It sounds like a album that was released before the Country Music Association decided they had to soften or destroy the sound in order to sell more records to a more sophisticated audience.
Listening to Jeff Mamett, you feel that no matter who he lists, he is more influenced by the likes of Hank Thompson and Red Steagel, whose song "About Horses & Wars" he covers beautifully.
Mamet's voice adds to the pleasure. It's flat, weathered as down-home as corn fields. His is not a set of pipes that sell a song; instead, he nudges it along, letting the words speak for themselves. He doesn't ever call attention to his singing; Mamet knows the song itself is what counts.
Acoustic guitars solo next to electric ones and everything sounds wonderfully aged, as though it had been soaking for a dozen years in a barrel of whiskey.
These are wonderful, well-played arrangements. Just listening to the band brings a blend of freshness to the old stuff, manifesting a humorous, light-hearted tone that is a pleasure to hear.
If you want to hear genuine country music, the way it was written and played before it was taken over by washed up '70s rockers and international corporations, Jeff Mamett is your man. - Rambles.Net review by Michael Scott Cain

Jeff Mamett obviously loves the roots of country music. By roots I mean the western swing roots, those that seem to
escape many of today’s homogeneous sounding performers. Jeff’s music is a bit more than nostalgia though, as he also
seems to draw influences from the more Americana singer-songwriters with a subtly humorous touch to some of the more
usual country subjects. Songs like the honky-tonk shuffle “No More Tears,” the snappy “Hot Tamales,” and the deft rock
hybrid title track show that he has a solid songwriting talent pool to draw from. His tribute to the late great Townes Van
Zandt is an emotional version of the classic “Pancho and Lefty.” What really makes these songs stand out is Jeff’s rich
baritone warble, like a more melodic Johnny Cash with a dash of Waylon thrown in for good measure. While this music
may be more popular with those who prefer the classic country sound, it has a comforting but still peppy vibe that will
catch the ear of the more modern country lovers. A very entertaining debut effort. – MW - musicmorsels.wordpress

Every once in a while, it's nice to find a singing cowboy that really is a cowboy. Along with gigs from L.A. to Pa., indie artist
Jeff Mamett has mainly paid the bills in the cattle business. He's no greenhorn - in fact, Mamett's giant soupstrainer of a
moustache has long gone silver. But he deftly applies the lessons learned from being close to riding and roping to his
homegrown songs. There's authenticity in spades, not to mention long years of crackerjack musicianship, in the recipe.
The album kicks off with "Isla Mae" a honky tonk blazer with guitar-licks aplenty. Thanks to some studio magic, Mamett
runs frets on both lead guitar and bass.
Mamett's musical passions fall squarely with classic C&W. But he's still game to explore other sonic pastures. The title
track's drum and organ combo aims for a more modern rock stroll (it would mash up nicely with Garbage's "Stupid Girl"). A
bright mandolin shines on "High and Lonesome," and the chosen chords bring the spirit of Jerry Garcia back for a little
while. Mamett tips his hat a little more overtly with two cover tunes, including the immortal "Pancho and Lefty." A clever
cowboy might stay clear of that one - it's already been branded by some of the all-time best. Things land a little closer to
the pin with "About Horses and Wars," taking us back to 1970s-era Texas cowboy singer Red Steagall.
Some artists have a straight 50-50 split in their singing and songwriting talent. That's not the case here, and Mamet's
much more a poet than a crooner. There's a croak at the bottom of his register - some might more gently refer to it as a
gravelly delivery. You'll either find it distinctive and charming or a distraction. Either way, vocally, his best moment's on the
higher perch of "Wanna Stay Mad." But there's no denying Mamett's more than a moonlighting cowboy when he pens
lines like on the waltzing closer, "Withered and Died": I wake up each morning to a life that I dread/All for chasing a
rainbow/That lived in my head. © Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • countryst@aol.com - Country Standard Time , Jeff Lincoln

JEFF MAMETT – HERE’S YOUR HAT (no label) In a modern age where so-called “country” music features digital samples, hip-hop and rock dynamics; new artists who honor traditional, old-school country music are becoming a scarce commodity. Enter northcentral PA-based singer/songwriter Jeff Mamett. Influenced early on by the singing cowboys, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, Jeff became a fan of Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett and others. He learned guitar and played bass in bands during his younger years, before entering the cattle business as he started raising a family. His interest in music rebooted after an open mic night three years ago, Jeff wrote songs toward his debut album, Here’s Your Hat. Produced by Jeff, the disc’s sound is very much traditional country and western swing over its dozen tracks; acoustic, electric and steel guitars are constant in the mix, as well as bursts of piano, harmonica, mandolin, fiddle, dobro and more. Jeff’s rugged baritone voice returns listeners to that classic country and western era, and touches of studio reverb recall 1950s and 1960s-era recordings. Jeff’s lyrics follow traditional country themes, including happy and sad love odes, rural and western settings and stories, and more. He celebrates special ladies with the upbeat honky-tonk opener “Isla Mae” and the Tex-Mex-toned “Hot Tamales,” and the joys of horses and the outdoors on the galloping “Watchin’ Our Ponies.” But he closes the book on other love interests on “No More Tears” and the western swing-driven “The Writing’s On the Wall,” profiles a troubled youth on “Careless Boy,” and pays homage to a fallen soul on the mandolin-flavored “High and Lonesome.” He celebrates the western storyteller tradition with updates of Red Steagall’s “About Horses and Wars” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty.” Jeff steps toward the rock spectrum twice, on the hard-punching title track “Here’s Your Hat,” and the lighter country-rock of “Wanna Stay Mad.” Jeff’s presentation sounds sincere and authentic, and his arrangements capture the atmosphere of roots country. The mix is clean and clear, and all the instrumental components shine brightly. For country fans wondering where true country has gone, Jeff Mamett provides an answer on Here’s Your Hat; this is the real deal. (The CD can be obtained through the website www.jeffmamett.com.) - PA Musician Magazine May 2016