Sampling — JJ Grey & Mofro

JJ GREY & MOFRO
ORANGE BLOSSOMS
Alligator Records, 2008

By Nick McGregor

Jacksonville-area native JJ Grey continues his love affair with down-home swamp-rock on he and Mofro’s fourth album, Orange Blossoms. Named after Florida’s state flower, Orange Blossoms is full of crunchy guitars, funky bass lines, wailing R & B-style horns, and the stellar vocal stylings of Grey.

Closing in on 10 years in the music business, Grey’s voice has taken on the time-tested authority of soul legends like Otis Redding and Bill Withers, while still retaining a rock flavor that recalls Gregg Allman and John Fogerty. And although Orange Blossoms doesn’t find Grey and Mofro moving in too many new directions, the ease and candor they bring to their particular brand of music remains refreshing after each listen.

The opening title track shuffles along on a very CCR-reminiscent boogie, pairing backwoods grit and blue-eyed soul over classic horns and guitar riffs. “Everything Good Is Bad” crawls along with blistering passion, epitomizing its adulterous lyrical content. Bluesy slow-burners “She Don’t Know” and “The Truth” rely on smoldering organs from Adam Scone, while “WYLF” and “On Fire” inject snazzy funk rhythms into Mofro’s repertoire.

It’s never easy for male vocalists to nail the sultry lounge act, but Grey blows dudes like John Mayer and Michael Buble out of the water on the weeping “Move It On.” And the rocking country-blues attitude of “Ybor City” plays like the perfect soundtrack to a night out on the Florida town — be it Tampa, Tallahassee, or good ol’ St. Augustine.

Grey and Mofro earned their chops playing the highly competitive mid-‘00s festival circuit, which included gigs at Bonnaroo, The Voodoo Music Experience, South By Southwest, Langerado, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest, and The Austin City Limits Festival. Grey also kickstarted the Blackwater Sol Revue here in the Oldest City, which is going on its third year at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. So in a sense, Grey and Mofro may just be the First Coast’s biggest musical celebrities.

But if you’re looking for new tunes to remind you of Florida’s potential for turning out high-quality acts — along with a glimpse of the rural South’s never-ending inspiration — pick up JJ Grey & Mofro’s Orange Blossoms. You’ll be able to smell the fragrant Florida flowers after only one spin.