MOJO JUJU: Seeing Red / Feeling Blue

Most people resist change. Not so Melbourne musician, impresario and raconteur Mojo Juju.

Over the course of some fifteen years, this pint-sized purveyor of all things twisted and odd has resisted the natural societal impulse to stick to the path tried and true, and so from early stints gracing stages at some of Melbourne’s most loved music dives has strived to change, to evolve, to explore.

Her eponymous debut solo release (2012), likewise covered a huge amount of rootsy ground, from blues to jazz, noir to soul. She’s sped things up, slowed them down, twisted them one way and thrown them in another. And it’s worked, her music garnering accolades the world over, the experimentation paying off.

So why stop now? Mojo Juju’s latest release, her second solo album, ‘Seeing Red / Feeling Blue’, carries on in the only fashion she knows how – differently.

Teaming up with longtime friend and producer Ptero Stylus (Diafrix / Mantra), the album takes on an electronic element, while throwing up a real pop sound, although not as you’d have heard before.

Singles ‘A Heart Is Not A Yo-Yo’, with its soul vibe courtesy of a velvet smooth groove and a subtle horn section, and ‘They Come & They Go’ which packs a funky punch, herald the change straight up. Elements of RnB, soul and blues are still prevalent throughout, Mojo Juju’s voice strong and commanding, sometimes crooning, other times almost rapping with the beat, slipping between the two with consummate ease – the songs are melodic and poppy, all while searching for some sort of rootsy throwback.

With ‘Seeing Red / Feeling Blue’, Mojo Juju has resisted the urge to stay in the one spot and the results see her forging further off the beaten track. You’d not expect anything else.

Seeing Red / Feeling Blue is available now.

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