JJ Grey & Mofro
We were recently put onto This River, the new album from JJ Grey and Mofro, to check out to see what we thought. Describing the work of JJ as ‘a grimy blend of front porch soul and down-home storytelling’, JJ has toured the world, released 6 albums and built up a loyal following the world over. The new record, This River – named for the St John’s River which was a central point during JJ’s upbringing in Florida, offers up ‘freewheeling celebrations to dark inner journeys, from late night, beer soaked testimonials to heartfelt ballads of the almost forgotten’ – which sounds pretty damned cool to me! I figured that the best way forwards was to hit play and check out the tracks for myself to see what I thought of it all!
Opening with Your Lady She’s Shady things get off to a funky and rock orientated start, offering up a bass heavy melee of pounding elements, all of which combine into the sort of thing that’s impossible to stand still to. Groovy, funky and the straight up beer drinking music, this is a track that you want to see live, safe in the knowledge that it’s going to be quality show. Somebody Else follows the same sorts of conventions, this time adding in some brass to bolster the sound even further. Classy sounding as it progresses, there’s a real sense of laid back cool about this one, the sort of thing that evokes images of smoke filled bars with a band playing in the back, immediately cooling you off, sitting you down and simply getting you listening. Again, the sound here is one which seems perfectly suited to the live scene, immediately getting your feet tapping, fingers clicking, and head nodding along to the beat – keeping things relatively simple but sounding oh so good.
Tame A Wild One continues this theme perfectly, once again presenting the listener with a laid back, smooth and cool sounding track packed with funky guitar licks, brass moments which will evoke the swing in you, and vocals which will grab your attention from the word go. Evocative throughout, the lyrics here tell a story as the track progresses, keeping the listener engaged and focused from start to finish. It’s a slight change then when 99 Shades Of Crazy comes in to take the lead, adding in a sense of rawness to the mix to elevate things to a more rock orientated approach. Once again keeping that funky approach flowing throughout the track, this is straight up porch sitting, whiskey drinking, sun drenched swing rock goodness. Imagine a party in the sun and the sort of music you’d want playing, this is it – look no further.
Shifting once again, this time into ballad mode, for The Ballad Of Larry Web, everything all of a sudden chills out, pulls back and presents a track that is quite simply stunning. Emotionally powerful from the opening seconds, the laid back approach of this track is what makes it so striking, evoking memories of times gone by, friends you’ve lost touch with, and moments that had long since gone from your memory. Anyone who isn’t moved by this track has a heart of stone, it’s that simple. The line ‘all we have is each other’ seems to hit home as soon as it’s played out, showing just how powerful music can be when it’s done well. Picking up the pace once again for Florabama before launching into the twangy Standing On The Edge, track after track seems to flow out of this record, each one telling a story as it progresses. It’s when Write A Letter comes about though that a new high point is achieved on the record. Laid back, chilled out and perfectly formed, this track screams of single potential, and is sure you leave you wanting more. Surprisingly powerful despite the chilled out and laid back approach, the smooth guitar work and soothing vocals seem to combine over the backing rhythms to form a sound resembling a dream, presenting you with images in your mind to accompany the track as it plays out. ‘Gonna write a letter send it home’, you’ll be singing along in no time, loving what you’re hearing and praying that JJ hits a town near you on tour soon so you can check it out for yourself – definitely one of my favourite moments from the album.
Once again changing the approach for Harp & Drums things take a turn towards blues at first, before picking up the pace and tossing us into a melee of harmonica, drums and tambourine, before fully breaking into a funky assed melody. Another one that you won’t be able to sit still, hook after hook flows out of this track, the sort of thing that’s going to get the dance floor jumping, the venue pumping, and you loving every second. Managing to sound old school and fresh at the same time, what you’ve got here is what the Red Hot Chilli Peppers always tried to achieve in their early days, but never quite achieved – think of it as a master class. It’s only then left to the title track, This River, to close the record for us, finishing with a final emotional moment, designed to leave you reflecting on what you’ve heard and looking forward to life. Soft guitars abound as the vocals once again tell the story of the track, not only hooking you in and captivating you from the word go, but finishing the album as it should, and letting you know once and for all that what you’ve just heard as been not only cool and laid back, but also reflective, emotional, and hard hitting.
I really wasn’t sure about This River from JJ Grey & Mofro when the press release first came in, but having listened through the album I can safely say I’m looking forward to hearing more. This album will lift your spirits, challenge what you thought you knew, and make you reflect on life, allowing you to realise what’s important around you. Music is an art form resulting from emotional experiences and outlooks, and what you’ve got here is a prime example of that, one not to miss.
To find out more, check out the JJ Grey & Mofro Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Your Lady She’s Shady things get off to a funky and rock orientated start, offering up a bass heavy melee of pounding elements, all of which combine into the sort of thing that’s impossible to stand still to. Groovy, funky and the straight up beer drinking music, this is a track that you want to see live, safe in the knowledge that it’s going to be quality show. Somebody Else follows the same sorts of conventions, this time adding in some brass to bolster the sound even further. Classy sounding as it progresses, there’s a real sense of laid back cool about this one, the sort of thing that evokes images of smoke filled bars with a band playing in the back, immediately cooling you off, sitting you down and simply getting you listening. Again, the sound here is one which seems perfectly suited to the live scene, immediately getting your feet tapping, fingers clicking, and head nodding along to the beat – keeping things relatively simple but sounding oh so good.
Tame A Wild One continues this theme perfectly, once again presenting the listener with a laid back, smooth and cool sounding track packed with funky guitar licks, brass moments which will evoke the swing in you, and vocals which will grab your attention from the word go. Evocative throughout, the lyrics here tell a story as the track progresses, keeping the listener engaged and focused from start to finish. It’s a slight change then when 99 Shades Of Crazy comes in to take the lead, adding in a sense of rawness to the mix to elevate things to a more rock orientated approach. Once again keeping that funky approach flowing throughout the track, this is straight up porch sitting, whiskey drinking, sun drenched swing rock goodness. Imagine a party in the sun and the sort of music you’d want playing, this is it – look no further.
Shifting once again, this time into ballad mode, for The Ballad Of Larry Web, everything all of a sudden chills out, pulls back and presents a track that is quite simply stunning. Emotionally powerful from the opening seconds, the laid back approach of this track is what makes it so striking, evoking memories of times gone by, friends you’ve lost touch with, and moments that had long since gone from your memory. Anyone who isn’t moved by this track has a heart of stone, it’s that simple. The line ‘all we have is each other’ seems to hit home as soon as it’s played out, showing just how powerful music can be when it’s done well. Picking up the pace once again for Florabama before launching into the twangy Standing On The Edge, track after track seems to flow out of this record, each one telling a story as it progresses. It’s when Write A Letter comes about though that a new high point is achieved on the record. Laid back, chilled out and perfectly formed, this track screams of single potential, and is sure you leave you wanting more. Surprisingly powerful despite the chilled out and laid back approach, the smooth guitar work and soothing vocals seem to combine over the backing rhythms to form a sound resembling a dream, presenting you with images in your mind to accompany the track as it plays out. ‘Gonna write a letter send it home’, you’ll be singing along in no time, loving what you’re hearing and praying that JJ hits a town near you on tour soon so you can check it out for yourself – definitely one of my favourite moments from the album.
Once again changing the approach for Harp & Drums things take a turn towards blues at first, before picking up the pace and tossing us into a melee of harmonica, drums and tambourine, before fully breaking into a funky assed melody. Another one that you won’t be able to sit still, hook after hook flows out of this track, the sort of thing that’s going to get the dance floor jumping, the venue pumping, and you loving every second. Managing to sound old school and fresh at the same time, what you’ve got here is what the Red Hot Chilli Peppers always tried to achieve in their early days, but never quite achieved – think of it as a master class. It’s only then left to the title track, This River, to close the record for us, finishing with a final emotional moment, designed to leave you reflecting on what you’ve heard and looking forward to life. Soft guitars abound as the vocals once again tell the story of the track, not only hooking you in and captivating you from the word go, but finishing the album as it should, and letting you know once and for all that what you’ve just heard as been not only cool and laid back, but also reflective, emotional, and hard hitting.
I really wasn’t sure about This River from JJ Grey & Mofro when the press release first came in, but having listened through the album I can safely say I’m looking forward to hearing more. This album will lift your spirits, challenge what you thought you knew, and make you reflect on life, allowing you to realise what’s important around you. Music is an art form resulting from emotional experiences and outlooks, and what you’ve got here is a prime example of that, one not to miss.
To find out more, check out the JJ Grey & Mofro Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls