JJ GREY & MOFRO
Country Ghetto
Alligator
· Sounds like a squeaky-clean CCR or Otis Redding revival.
This album is a departure from the last two Mofro discs. It has JJ Grey, the brains behind the self-proclaimed "front porch soul" outfit, stepping forward as bandleader. Therefore, instead of relying heavily on catchy grooves, like 2001’s Blackwater, which Amazon.com has listed as one of the best of the decade in music, Country Ghetto sets up Mr. Grey to be in the spotlight for most of the record.
The opening lick on the first track of this album, "War," has the potential to be great. The guitar tone is perfectly overdriven. The drums are crisp and restrained. The foundation is there, but then alas, the vocals come in. JJ Grey, despite his efforts, not to mention his strict diet of Muscle Shoals and Stax records, is not the next Otis Redding. The rest of the album emphasizes this. "Country Ghetto" is a trite, self-deprecating look at his Southern U.S. upbringing. "Mississippi" goes down like a deep-fried slice of Americana cheese. "On Palastine" (not a typo) feels like the breezy East Coast equivalent of Jack Johnson.
Markedly less funky than their Louisiana contemporaries, Galactic, JJ Grey & Mofro sound like a band at the crossroads. On their next album, one hopes that they will choose between a broad, easy-listening sound, or southern soul, rather than stand in the middle of the road, as they do on Country Ghetto.
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