A Little Bit of Mambo Lou Bega BMG/RCA, 1999 Tracks 1: Mambo #5 (A Little Bit of) 2: Baby Keep Smiling 3: Lou's Cafe 4: Can I Tico Tico You 5: I Got A Girl 6: Tricky, Tricky 7: Icecream 8: Beauty on the TV-Screen 9: 1+1=2 10: The Most Expensive Girl in the World 11: The Trumpet Part II 12: Behind Stage 13 Mambo Mambo   Buy it online Reviewed by Sienna Powers	By now, if you haven't heard Lou Bega's very large first single, "Mambo No. 5," it's quite possible you've been living-off planet for the last several months. The pervasive beat and tight musical and vocal arrangements are danceable and toe-tappable and not quite forgettable. In fact, it's the sort of song that's had reviewers screaming, "One hit wonder!" since the album's release in mid-1999. If you've seen the insipid, 80s-style glam rock wannabe video, it's only added fuel to the fire. But wait: in addition to that tight track and a whole pile of glossy art direction, A Little Bit of Mambo is an outstanding debut for Bega. The album begs to be listened to from one end to the other, in storybook fashion. And while some of transitional tracks, like "Lou's Cafe" which consists of 59 seconds of Bega entering a venue -- presumably a cafe -- and introducing himself and his next song, are somewhat contrived and ever-so-slightly irritating, the production is great and the transition is head-shakingly seamless. The best part of A Little Bit of Mambo is the obvious international flavor that the European-raised Bega weaves skillfully throughout this album. Influences are apparent from a vast range of musical styles and Bega weaves them into a delightful style that doesn't quite duplicate anything that's been done before. Mambo, of course, is a recurring influence. Hence the name. But there's more here, besides. From the rat pack-reminiscent "Baby Keep Smiling," to the tight rhymes of "Can I Tico Tico You," "The Most Expensive Girl in the World" and "Icecream," the latter of which is also rich with a South American influence. Here's the overall melange: jazz, hip hop, rap, mambo, African beat and acid jazz all overlaid with absolutely world class brass. A blend that in other hands -- and with less worthy production -- could be a big, fat mess. Yet, somehow Bega makes it work in an entirely memorable way. Bega loses points for devoting every song -- and all of the videos I've seen thus far -- to women. It gives the album the sort of adolescent finish that results, predictably, in those shouts of "One hit wonder!" noted earlier. I suspect, however, that nothing could be further from the truth. It will be interesting to see what an artist with this much early polish and obvious direction will do for an encore. | March 2000   Sienna Powers is a writer, editor and visual artist.	The best part of A Little Bit of Mambo is the obvious international flavor that the European-raised Bega weaves skillfully throughout this album. Influences are apparent from a vast range of musical styles and Bega weaves them into a delightful style that doesn't quite duplicate anything that's been done before.