In a catalog littered with casual brilliance, Jungalingle stands among Mattei's best works, not merely by the sheer volume of its 25-song track list, but also by the consistent strength of his slice-of-life songwriting. While Mattei and his band, the Tempers (bassist Bryan Berwanger, drummer Debbie Immesoete and occasional), had stage-tested a lot of the songs on Jungalingle, Mattei massaged and tweaked them during Covid lockdown, lending them a slightly darker edge than they might otherwise have had.

- Brian Baker / City Beat


For those of you who have read Cri de Coyote through the years, Maurice Mattei needs no introduction. Jungalingle, his new opus (recorded in guitar/vocal mode), contains twenty-five tracks and listening to it is like the thrill and the intoxication of opening a wonderful new book - the unique pleasure of diving into an author’s universe and forgetting the hours and the constraints of everyday life. A Maurice Mattei album can be enjoyed like great literature, with an open mind, and an inquisitive appetite. Maurice has no equal when it comes to setting, costumes, and action. Words filtered, refined, sharpened, and lightly dressed in a style reminiscent of country-blues. Almost all the verses would have to be quoted to do justice to his art. 25 scenes, 25 photographs, 25 stories; a complete menu with results that meet all expectations. We are transported, seduced and casually challenged with each new page, each new song. Thanks for the trip, Mr. Mattei. We will be sure to come back.

- Eric Supparo / Cri du Coyote (French Alt-Country/Americana
Magazine)


JUNGALINGLE is Maurice Mattei's 27th album. It contains 25 songs written over the last two years. The songs cover a variety of subjects: murder, good and bad love, death, the passing of time, hope & despair, kind-hearted grifting, deceitfulness, cautiously happy endings and regret. Go grab Jungalingle now!

- CincyMusic


"The opening number ‘The Tropics’ quickly sets the tone with Mattei’s guitar settling into a gritty blues groove while his vocal delivery falls somewhere between the deep graveled tones of Malcolm Holcomb and the smoother baritone of Bill Callahan whose somewhat dispassionate lyrical delivery also resonates on a number of songs throughout the album. ‘Empty Graves’ is one of two co-writes on the album with The Temper’s bass player Bryan Berwanger. Here Mattei’s draws from his poetic soul with lines such as “vows renewed, my funny valentine, are worth their weight in thistle and brine”, while the jaunty pace of the arrangement offers the perfect juxtaposition to the sobriety of the narrative “empty graves are here for one and all”. The sinister theme continues with the dark and brooding ‘Am I Keeping You From Something”, with the dissonant chords helping to supply the tension. Elsewhere ‘Wake The Dead’ again evokes the aforementioned Holcombe while ‘Can’t Stand To Be Awake’ and ‘Nowhere Is Never Far Away’ finds Mattei taking a slightly tongue cheek swipe at modern life. ‘My Little Town’ graphical brings to life the loss and devastation caused by tornadoes that terrorize the U.S. with his lyrical gravitas perfectly capturing the solemn mood of the aftermath  “there’s much to do, but not much to say”. The characters that populate Mattei’s songs rarely walk down the sunny side of the street, instead they are more likely to be found skulking in the shadows somewhere on the edge of town where life is hard as told on ‘You’re A Big Boy’ but there is room for the reflective with the empathy found in ‘Maggie Rose’ reminiscent of early Tom Waits."

- Graeme Tait / Americana UK