JJ Grey
and Mofro have been playing soulful, funk-inspired southern rock for over a
decade, but after a few cycles of listening to their latest album, This River, I was ready to dismiss it and compare it to things like
tapioca pudding or boiled chicken or any number of things that are uninspired
and bland. I was thisclose to
comparing J.J. Grey and Mofro to reduced-fat vanilla fro-yo. It was boring. I
was done with it. But I was also listening to it on my cell phone speakers,
which is kind of like trying to listen to the iHome in your neighbor’s
apartment. I think that was the problem.
I plugged it
in to better speakers and the album came alive. I challenge anyone to listen to
the opening track, “Your Lady, She’s Shady,” and attempt to extract the chorus
from your head once it’s good and stuck in there. “Tame a Wild One,” the third
track, is a lazy, southern-rock ballad about a typical, southern-rock problem:
trying to make a woman do right until she wants to do wrong. Think of it as a
normal person’s take on “Ho” by Ludacris and you’ll be all right.
JJ Grey
and Mofro originally recorded as just Mofro, until JJ Grey – the mofro that
he is – went and added his name to the beginning. They’re from Jacksonville, a
city that’s given us The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd (and to keep
things balanced, Limp Bizkit), so it’s no surprise they play the type of music they
do. What sets them apart, and what really gives them an identity, is their
brass section. This is most evident on the sixth track, “Florabama,” the album’s
funkiest song and the song most likely to change the geographical nomenclature
of the contiguous 48 states.
But I have a
question. When did it become okay to do what JJ Grey did? If I were a member
of Mofro I’m pretty sure I’d be up in arms. This is a band’s band; when the
guitars and keyboard and percussion and brass are working together, they are special.
JJ Grey’s deep, scratchy, passionate voice is a huge aspect of their sound,
sure, but you don’t see Adam Levine and the Maroon 4 or Rob Thomas and the
Matchbox 19 strolling around. I use those guys as an example only because they
are among the few people who can get away with such a thing, and to illustrate
the fact that if JJ Grey and Mofro suddenly went back to Mofro, I don’t think
many people north of the Georgia state line would lose any sleep.
Speaking of
state lines, let’s get back to “Florabama” because I can’t stop singing it.
With more songs like this and less songs like “Accidental Racist” – with sincere
apologies to the 6 of you who’ve been waiting your entire lives for a Brad
Paisley-LL Cool J mashup – the world would be a better place. One of the best
parts – and undoubtedly the part that made me a fan – of JJ Grey and Mofro’s
career is their seamless incorporation of R&B into their already unique
blend of southern rock. We can be force-fed country and rap together
Paisley/Cool J style until we’re left with nothing but a disturbing pile of
foie gras, or we can take it in stride Mofro style until we are left licking
our lips at a fresh plate of fried chicken and waffles.
I don’t know
if discussing R&B and fried chicken and waffles in the same sentence is accidentally
racist or not; it seems like kind of a Grey area. So since I’m no authority on
matters like this, I’m just going to leave you one piece of advice and call it
a day: This River is a strong album
from a band you may not have heard of, and you need to listen to it.
Grade: B+
Grade: B+
Really dude? Have you ever looked at the song credits? JJ Grey- Acoustic 6-String Guitar, Arranger, Artwork, Clavinet, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm), Harmonica, Horn Arrangements, Liner Notes, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Synthesizer, Talk Box, Vocals, Vocals (Background) "
JJ IS Mofro-
P.S. please dont compare Maroon 5 and Matchbox 20... it hurts me.
^^^yup. JJ Grey took this band from good to great, and should be commended daily for his efforts.
As I understand it, JJ Grey writes all of the material, records all of the parts in his home studio, then takes it to the band to record. Mofro was a made up word for his band. The songs are his, stories of his life, JJ Grey and Mofro protects the rights to his material as opposed to an entities material.
To quote JJ:
"I was always shy about putting my own name on my music. I knew that other people went by their own names with their own music but for whatever goofy reason I was too nervous to do it. All of the songs have been about personal experiences at some level in my life some good and some bad. A couple of the songs are about someone very dear to me who thought I was too embarrassed to have my own name associated with the songs I wrote about them. In the end it made me realize that my music is too damn personal to have a name I made up (Mofro) as the inspiration behind it."