JJ GREY & MOFRO -- "ORANGE BLOSSOMS"

By Rick Zeigler

JJ Grey & Mofro's producer, Don Prothero, describes their sound as "front porch soul". And as much as the band doesn't like to be put into boxes, JJ Grey admits that this is one description he'll take. Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, Mofro joins together elements of blues, funk, R & B, and soul to come up with a swamp-rock mix that recalls the heady days of the early seventies when southern rock was still firmly rooted in the blues and Muscle Shoals provided horn backdrops for the Allman Brothers and their cohorts. Orange Blossoms is the band's fourth album to pursue this sound, and it and its immediate predecessor, Country Ghetto, are as fine examples of this approach as you'll find. Expanding their palette with the addition of strings on some songs, Orange Blossoms remains firmly rooted in tight blues guitar licks, outstanding drumming that always seems to lag just slightly behind the beat to provide a "down-home" feel (think of Charlie Watts work on the Rolling Stone's "country" numbers), and Grey's impressive, soulful voice. All these elements are wrapped around songs that create a sense of place (that being the southern swamps) through fine, yet simple, lyrical imagery. The title track opens the album with just such an approach, with the smell of the orange blossoms triggering the singer's somewhat faded recollections ("all these years later, I can't even remember her name") of a love long gone. The music provides bluesy beats and guitar licks, punchy horns, and a beautiful organ vamp in the middle. "The Devil You Know" follows, with nice stinging guitar leads, a funky, hard-edged rhythm, and a line of regret that the singer's woman has "turned on me for the devil you know". "Everything Good Is Bad" turns into a slinky slow burner, while "WYLF" yields a near-gospel experience. "On Fire" adds funky trombone to the mix, while "Ybor City" showcases Grey's fine harp work. Throughout the album, Grey's voice is a thing of beauty, being both restrained and understated but also full of emotional conviction, a rare feat. Indeed, it is the sound of Grey's smooth yet gritty voice that adds emotional punch to the words, not the other way around. When he reminisces, you can practically see the rocker on the porch moving back and forth while he provides his porch-sitters (us) with his stories. In sum, if you like your rock lean and funky, with bluesy southern soul beats and licks filling every crevice, pick up on JJ Grey and Mofro.

JJ Grey will be giving a free, all ages instore performance at Indy CD and Vinyl on Friday, November 21st at 5 PM. He and Mofro will be playing the Vogue later that night.