Reviewed by Jonathan Bellamy

Not just pure but crisp, insistent, seriously groovy and quite surprising. After four tracks you think you've got Sozo weighed up - Snap, 2 Unlimited, pump up some bass, grab some samples, give it the odd ragga rap, some Black Box wails and sweat dance away - when suddenly up pops the soulful sound of "You're Beautiful To Jesus", Danielle Pryor persuading us there's more than one liners to her musical vocabulary. Having been convinced though 'Purity' crunches back into overdrive for the champing at the bit, non stop rework of a 1969 testimonial "I'm So Glad (I'm Saved)". Anybody remember the original? Me neither. There's then time for three more bops and a brief sermon on the rave with "Strategies" before the final track "Give Thanks" - a simple but beautifully worshipful arrangement of the Henry Smith classic "Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart". Proving once again that God drops oil on his raving worshippers too. But of course an N-Soul release wouldn't be complete without a dash of Blackwell magic and if your feet are still itchy then 'Purity' wraps up with nearly 14 minutes of solid Scott B sound - a mix mash of all the best grooves from the rest of the album spliced together for your perpetual pleasure and religiously entitled "Party Mix". Jesus and Party? It is at N-Soul.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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