Intro Intro (1993)

Mother Mojo was an excellent follow-up to Satan & Adam's first-rate debut, Harlem Blues. The duo hasn't abandoned their minimalist guitar and harp blues, but there is a loose energy that keeps the music fresh and consistently engaging.
The pair's sound is beefed up intermittently by percussionist Sammy Figueroa, but their telepathic sense of interplay emerges unscathed. Satan, billed as Sterling Magee when he recorded for Ray Charles' Tangerine label during the late 1960s ("Seventh Avenue," a remake of Magee's "Oh Wasn't She Pretty" from that era, is irresistible) owns a wonderfully raspy voice not unlike Brother Ray's. He powerfully delivers the churning title cut, the message songs "Freedom For My People" and "Ain't Nobody Better Than Nobody," and a torrid remake of Solomon Burke's "Cry To Me."

Personality clashes are as much a part of Deep Purple as Ritchie Blackmore's penchant for black clothing. A revolving door of members resulted in different lineups being given their own labels. The most popular version of Purple has always been the Mark II model: Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice…

The last album of De La Soul's creative prime, Buhloone Mindstate was also their last with producer Prince Paul. After the claustrophobic De La Soul Is Dead, Mindstate is a partial return to the upbeat positivity of 3 Feet High and Rising, though not its wildly colorful invention…

Two of the works on this CD follow the 4 movement Classical era format while the other two show the decided influence of the Italian overture. The Spanish royal court and wealthy noblemen imported a generation of Italian musicians including Domenico Scalatti, Gaetano Brunetti and Luigi Bocherini. These composers inspired the local talent, and this disc highlights the results.