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MASK, from Deep Purple bassist and producer Roger Glover, is available here for the first time on CD. Unlike the orchestral reach of his previous solo works, for The Mask Roger Glover updated his sound to slick guitar and synth rock that lands somewhere between The Fixx and Simple Minds. Having a Deep Purple member attempt eighties pop sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Glover pulls it off. Although Glover sneaks some old-fashioned sax rave-ups into "Dancin' Again," the album is more typified by the upbeat hook-pop of both "Getting Stranger" and the title track. These tracks seem geared for heavy video rotation, and Glover's own bass chops are strangely muted throughout -- and yet it never comes off as a sell-out. ~ Paul Collins
