by: Paul Freeman (section: Time Out; page: TAB25)

Trying to emerge from a superstar's shadow can drive anyone crazy. But Mary Ramsey, who has accepted Natalie Merchant's former spotlight with 10,000 Maniacs, is handling the pressure with aplomb.

The music's not bad, either.

Those who approach the new album Love Among the Ruins (Geffen) with an open mind will rate it as one of the 16-year-old band's better efforts. It's the first 10,000 Maniacs release since Merchant went solo in 1993. The lineup now consists of guitarist Robert Buck, keyboardist Dennis Drew, bassist Steve Gustafson and drummer Jerome Augustyniak, as well as John Lombardo, a founding member who left the group in 1986 and had been working in a duo setting with Ramsey. Ramsey isn't really a newcomer to the band, having played viola, violin and sung backing vocals on the previous two Maniacs albums.

The band hopes the public will give the album a fair shake.

"I believe they will," Ramsey says. "There's all sorts of different angles people can judge things by. But music is a pretty powerful force. I'm sure there will be comparisons. But I think this music stands on its own."

Of course, some folks, no matter how good the music is, may whine, "Yes, but she's not Natalie."

"I wouldn't mind," says Ramsey with a laugh, "because I'm not Natalie. I spent a lot of time with Natalie and the band in the past, because John and I opened for the band in 1990. We all became friends. John and I were like an offshoot cousin band of the Maniacs. Natalie and I have talked a bit since I stepped into this role and she's been very positive about it."

The band fleetingly considered releasing the album under another moniker.

"We were thinking of using our names John, Mary, Steve, Rob, Dennis and Jerry but people would have gotten tongue-tied. Besides, they would have referred to us as those people who used to be 10,000 Maniacs.' "

Ramsey's first shows were nerve-wracking, but enthusiastic responses allayed the fears.

"It's like meeting someone's parents. At first, it's Well, who is this person?' But, by the end of the show, after the awkwardness, everyone's happy and enjoying the music."

Though the Maniacs in concert feature primarily the new album's material, they perform a handful of Maniacs fans' favorite tunes. Ramsey feels comfortable singing them.

"They're great songs, a lot of fun to do. It's a nice transition for the audience. They really dig hearing the old stuff."

Ramsey, who was born in Washington, D.C., moved with her family to Western New York State when she was 10. She started playing music at age 5. Violin was her first fascination. By college, she was concentrating on viola. She put music aside for a couple of years, working as a waitress in Buffalo.

Then Ramsey, itching to perform, formed a trio and played on street corners. But she never considered herself a vocalist until she met Lombardo, who had left the Maniacs in '86. He asked if she could sing. Though she hadn't done much of it, she gave it a shot, and the results were pleasing.

"Over time, I've strengthened my voice," she said. "Singing with a band requires more power than with a folk duo. But, from the beginning, I loved singing," says Ramsey, who learned much about tone, vibrato and phrasing from her years playing viola and violin. "Singing is such a kinetic thing. It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun. It charges you up, brings a lot of oxygen into your lungs. Singing is very gratifying."

She and Lombardo who are not an item recorded two albums for Rykodisc in the early '90s. The pair have become the chief lyric writers for the Maniacs.