4/5 stars
The zoot-suit-wearing monster of soul Mojo Juju is back for a second record that takes the raw blues of her debut and fuses it with contemporary pop and R&B. With one foot in the past and another in the present, Seeing Red / Feeling Blue brings together powerful hooks with modern production. The result is an album that’s beating with the heart of classic American music, but brings it into a sound of her own definition, where old-school vibes coexist with hip hop beats.
Producer Ptero Stylus (Diafrix, Mantra) has helped glue it all together, nailing a vibe that echoes Mark Ronson’s collaborations with Amy Winehouse. He’s dipped into the wealth of talent over at HopeStreet Recordings, with members of The Cactus Channel and The PutBacks laying down a slab of infectiously gritty horn lines throughout. Tracks like ‘A Heart Is Not A Yo-Yo’ and ‘Sugarcoated’ are taken to the next level when the brass chimes in to bring Juju’s choruses home.
Mojo Juju has crafted a great collection of songs that will arguably make her music more accessible than ever before. She may have cleaned up the edges a little, but the core of her music still runs hot with fiery soul.
