New York Times Review

Out of the Swamp, Dripping With Both Wildness and Cool

In the first few moments of Friday morning, J J Grey was in the middle of a lean, casually nimble guitar solo, sounding a bit like a young Jerry Garcia. His band, Mofro, had a lock on a sharply credible funk groove, playing “Ho Cake,” a tune from its 2001 debut. Some in the crowd at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza were reacting with gawkily un-self-conscious dance moves. For the moment Mr. Grey and his crew were doing a fine impersonation of a jam band.

For much of the previous hour, though, Mofro had delivered something murkier, deeper and more measured, if no less assertive in its rhythm. Mr. Grey, from Jacksonville, Fla., makes a loose derivation of Southern swamp rock, with undercurrents of Memphis soul. His songs chronicle ambiguous truths and unambiguous urges, occasionally lighting on a righteous cause.

The show’s biggest singalong was on “Lochloosa,” a wistful ballad inspired by the Florida lake and wildlife area of that name. “All we need is one more damn developer/Tearing her heart out,” Mr. Grey sang in his urgent drawl.

The set otherwise drew mainly from “Orange Blossoms” (Alligator), a sturdy album released last year. And, among other things, it suggested that Mofro has one of the great unhurried rhythm sections in rock, capable of heavy track-laying but comfortable with airy fluctuation. “Move It On,” a molasses-dipped entreaty, involved sinuous bass lines doubled on Hammond B-3 organ. “Higher You Climb,” a bitter scold of a song, featured a tersely chugging groove.

Mr. Grey’s bleary take on soul singing felt winningly uncontrived, and his rapport with the six other members of Mofro, including a two-piece horn section, couldn’t have been clearer. Every now and then, during one of his pithy guitar solos, he turned to exchange grins with Anthony Cole, a terrific drummer. By the show’s final encore, a rave-up gospel version of “Got My Mojo Working,” Mr. Grey was huffing hard through a harmonica while the band, loose but driving, flailed on.

Jambase Reviews Orange Blossoms

JJ Grey & MOFRO have been gradually making a name for themselves since the early side of this decade, and following this summer's release of their fourth studio album, Orange Blossoms, it looks like things are going to keep getting bigger and bigger for the front porch soul man from Jacksonville, Florida. The 2007 release of Country Ghetto saw JJ Grey's music break out into a larger audience with the help of quality promotion and a good deal of radio play. But with Orange Blossoms, it's starting to seem as though Grey and his MOFRO cohorts are finally being seen and heard with the crossover appeal they've held from the start.