staff picks
Orange Blossoms

JJ Grey and Mofro

Orange Blossoms

by Jim Fahy

Like Florida’s state flower the orange blossom, musician JJ Grey’s songs are fascinating, beautiful and complex. Both are products of the same ground: the rich, fertile and ancient soil of the Sunshine State. Born and raised just outside of Jacksonville, Florida, Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern musical storytellers and, like the best of the great Southern writers, he fills his songs with details that are at once vivid and personal, political and universal. His multi-textured music overflows with dynamic rhythms and thought-provoking lyrics. From raw funk to deep soul, blues, and rock, JJ and his band Mofro deliver devastating live and recorded performances. Now, with his new album, Orange Blossoms, JJ Grey takes another giant step forward, moving effortlessly from gospel-tent fervor to Southern-fried rockers to deeply emotional soul, and all anchored by lyrics that are at once vivid and personal, political and universal.  Orange Blossoms is a groove-driven masterpiece fueled by JJ’s gritty, smoldering vocals and intense, funk-infused guitar and keyboard work. If you don’t know Mofro, then Orange Blossoms is a great place to get started. You need this.

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