Mood Mosaic Vol.3 (Sexploitation)

After two volumes' worth of straightforward lounge tunes, the Mood Mosaic compilation series pushed in a more adventurous direction on its third installment. Mood Mosaic, Vol. 3: The Sexploitation makes for a highly amusing listen because it is dedicated to erotic music; that is, sleazy-sounding lounge music and soundtrack cuts used for the love scenes in exploitation movies. As one might expect, several of these cuts incorporate orgasmic female moaning into their sonic attack: "Continental Exchange" is a Sounds Nice cut that paces its funky combination of wah-wah guitar and swirling organ licks with the sound of a woman's amorous-minded heavy breathing, and Ray Brown's amusingly titled "Coming and Going" is a guitar-led slice of light funk that prominently features the sound of a woman driving herself into an erotic frenzy while the band jams along behind her. Other cuts present a different but no less sexy take on the album's concept: "Good Time Woman" by Dan Seepers Soul spices up its horn-drenched soul by throwing in a female chorus that romantically coos along with the melody and De Giafferi's unhinged "Sado Maso" features a man raving in French about the titular subject while sweet female voices back him up. Despite these amusing tracks, Mood Mosaic, Vol. 3: The Sexploitation doesn't entirely succeed because some of its cuts fail to fit the concept. Clay Pitts' "Caribbean Sunrise" is a pleasant bossa nova track that lacks the erotic elements of the other tracks and Lil Louis' "French Kiss" is a techno track whose purely electronic style makes it stand out like a sore thumb amongst the band-driven tracks that surround it. However, the majority of Mood Mosaic, Vol. 3: The Sexploitation works and the rare nature of most of its tracks ensures that it will appeal to hardcore lounge fanatics. ~ Donald A. Guarisco|