"Every decade has its state-of-the-art folk-rock band. This decade's is the Mammals, most often noted for featuring Pete Seeger's grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger and fiddler Jay Ungar's daughter Ruth. But the band's secret threat is songwriter Michael Merenda, seemingly descended not just from one famous folkie, but the entire folk tradition itself. His songs range from sensitive, breathy ballads to audibly grinning political broadsides."
-Jeff Rosenberg, Willamette Week
“Remember basic good songwriting? This will remind you.”
- KZSU Stanford
“One hell of a fine songmaker. The songwriter for the western world.”
- U. Utah Phillips
“Some of the most original stuff coming from any current singer-songwriter.”
- John Stifler, Daily Hampshire Gazette
“...Poetry that singer-songwriters have been fighting to achieve since the 1960s. Merenda's ability to find humor in charged topics without sacrificing his own viewpoint makes [him] remarkable.”
-Sarah Meador, Rambles.NET
“What distinguishes Merenda bucolic bebop from a host of other indie singer/songwriters? Honesty. Well, that and the fact that he's exponentially more creative than others...Not only is this stuff eccentric enough for college radio, but it’s professional enough to dazzle the Americana airwaves - great crossover music."
- Ryan Hoffer, Shut Eye Records
(2006)