by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
JJ Grey & Mofro’s debut album on Alligator Records, Country Ghetto, passed my car stereo test. That is, I popped the CD into my car system and played it continuously for a week as I drove around in the course of my job. If I like a CD, it sounds great on the first listen, then it sounds even better with multiple plays. Country Ghetto grabbed me right away and held my interest. As I listened to the recording, I noticed the high-quality production values of JJ’s long-time producer, Dan Prothero. It’s a major step up in quality and creativity.
Indeed, I’ve been a fan of JJ Grey & Mofro since I covered their live shows on at least five different occasions over the last ten years, including the Springing the Blues Festivals. I was immediately drawn to Mofro’s original swampy funk sound and JJ’s down home lyrics and catchy songwriting. To me, Mofro comes across with the hooky sound of CCR and the deep blues of Muddy Waters driven by Sly and The Family Stone’s funky rhythms.
The latest JJ Grey & Mofro studio album is by far the group’s most well-recorded album to date, with choral arrangements and horns tastefully injected into the mix. JJ’s 11 songs are typical of his honest storytelling about his life in Northern Florida, the madness of war, and other subjects near and dear to JJ’s heart.
The album opens with War, which refers to the war inside a person’s consciousness as we make decisions, “Juggling morality with personal loss or gain,” as JJ said regarding this album. The song opens with a solid funky groove with the B-3 organ prominent in the mix. The song is reminiscent of Sly’s phrasing: “There’s a war going on,” as the B-3 comes in strong. The B-3 is mixed across the spectrum with devastating effect.
Circles begins with a simple Fender Rhodes’ piano chordal structure–deep down dirty. It’s about the vicious circles of romantic entanglement. Someone has to break the cycle by moving on with one’s life. The song Turpentine addresses the injustice of the slave-like turpentine camps in Florida. The album’s stunning title cut, Country Ghetto features lead guitar and prominent harmonica in the mix as JJ sings about “life in a country ghetto,” which gets to the heart of JJ’s backwater roots. It refers to the people JJ knew growing up, living under the poverty line. Although they didn’t have much money, they had soul. On this cut, the use of the backup chorus is most effective.
Tragic opens strong and expresses the pain of losing a friend who was addicted to prescription drugs. Again the B-3 reigns supreme in the mix with the guitar mixed on the right side of the spectrum. It’s a powerful expression of JJ’s emotional pain and it grooves with authority. A Woman is one of the songs JJ wrote for Cassandra Wilson. JJ changed some words to fit his version. Basically, the message of the song is that there is nothing stronger, scarier, or more attractive than a strong woman.
This CD is unequivocally JJ Grey & Mofro’s breakout album. Listening to this CD is like a walk near the river on a cool autumn day with a slight breeze in your face and good vibes in your heart and soul. Now that JJ Grey & Mofro are on Alligator, log onto www.mofro.net or www.alligator.com.
JJ Grey & MOFRO will be performing an album release show at the Florida Theatre on Friday, Feb. 16. at 8 PM. Tickets are $25. Call 355-2787 for more info.
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