Yes, O.T.R. (On The Rocks) has John Lawton (ex-URIAH HEEP, LUCIFER'S FRIEND) on vocals and (I know I begun in quite an unorthodox way) Jan Dumee from FOCUS on guitars together with three undescribably talented Brazilian musicians and the result is a bloody dynamite. This all-star quintet is mixing classic Rock, blues and soul influences with a nonconformistic attitude and a stylistic perfection (or maybe I should say 'mastery'?) that leaves the listener stunned.
10 Rock anthems of the highest quality, most of which would be considered classics if they were released 3 decades earlier, that combine Lawton's soulful interpretations with Dumee's innumerable infuences and vorascious lead work together with one of the best rhythm sections in the world (no shit!) and a brilliant keyboardist that adds his unique colour to the songs. OK, all this might sound a bit retro but I really couldn't care less since I'm a huge fan of that era. Moreover, I reckon that this is a great proof of how great and unique a vocalist John Lawton still is and I somehow feel sore when thinking how unlucky he was to be HEEP's vocalist after the adored, late David Byron.
I truly hope that with O.T.R.even more people will understand that this man is by far one of the very greatest, a classic one in this genre. If I were to compare O.T.R. with wome similar work I would say that it is a bit similar to DEEP PURPLE's Stormbringer. And if I might be a bit bolder I would say that I like this one as much as I love Stormbringer or maybe - at times - even more.
All in all, I don't know what Mamonama means but I hope and pray (sort of) that it really came to stay.