Personnel: John Phillips (vocals, guitar); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, bass instrument); Laura Mackenzie Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Mick Jagger (vocals); Chris Spedding, Mick Taylor (guitar); Jean Rousell, Charlie Giordano (keyboards); Ron Wood (Ronald David Wood) (bass instrument); Mike Driscoll, Yogi Horton (drum); Rebop Kwaku Baah, Ollie Brown (percussion).

Arranger: James Biondolillo.

John Phillips, mastermind of the Mamas & the Papas, released only two proper solo albums during his lifetime, 1969's L.A. folk-pop masterpiece JOHN, THE WOLF KING OF L.A, and PAY, PACK & FOLLOW, a 2001 remix/reassemblage of a "lost" 1976 session with the Rolling Stones as the first artist signed to Rolling Stones Records. PUSSYCATS (2008) finally unveils the original, unedited sessions. While the presence of Mick, Keith, and company will intrigue Stones cultists, there's actually nothing particularly Stonesy about PUSSYCATS. It's more in line with the polished, breezy pop records being made at the time by people like John Sebastian, bringing the '60s folk-rock aesthetic into a new era, with production values adjusted accordingly and fewer overt hippie-isms.

The Mamas & the Papas' founding member, John Phillips, released his second solo effort 20 years after the fact. The result of a series of recording sessions that span the years 1976-1977 was begun while Phillips was in England scoring the soundtrack for the David Bowie film The Man Who Fell to Earth. Produced by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, the set is a mixed bag of space pop, blues, and psychedelic ditties. Richard's always engaging guitar work can be heard on every tune while Jagger sings backup on four of the nine tracks. Also present are the Stones' Mick Taylor and Ron Wood. So it's not surprising that the set has a distinct '70s-era Rolling Stones flavor. Phillips' gift for catchy, melodic pop is in evidence, though, particularly on the jaded "Sunset Boulevard" and the starry-eyed "Wilderness of Love." These tracks first came to light in 2001 as Pay Pack & Follow, which Phillips had remixed before he passed away earlier that year. Seven years later, in 2008, Varese Sarabande reissued this date as Pussycat, using the masters from the 1978 mixes which were rediscovered in 2003. Along with the original intended running order of the LP, five previously unreleased bonus outtakes from The Man Who Fell to Earth are included. ~ Travis Drageset & Al Campbell

Dirty Linen (p.52) - "There are a few gems, including the country rocker 'Oh, Virginia' and the melancholy 'Very Dread'..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here is a beguiling quality to the brittle, self-pitying 'Sunset Boulevard' and 'Wilderness Of Love'..."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.89) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The music ranges from ballads to country, pop and rock, with many of Phillips' compositions dealing with people he knew....[An] outstanding release..."