Spending your mornings surfing (the ocean not the net) in North Florida and recording in the afternoons sounds like a pretty nice routine. This album is a reflection of these sensory pleasures and an all round harmony with the singer's natural surroundings.
JJ Grey's songs on his 7th album are connected to the earth in a sacred, though not overtly religious, way. There's a bluesy feel although in truth he doesn't really seem to have much to be blue about. Tracks like Everything Is A Song and Every Minute are full of a lust for life.
Grey has been well described as a "soul-bent swamp rocker" and his mission appears to be to stay true to musical heroes like Otis Redding or Al Green. Mofro, his slick six-piece backing band, help him achieve this goal.
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Trumpet and sax help funk things up and guest musicians on dobro and slide guitar add a country flavour. Some soaring Allman Brothers-esque guitar solos also take things in a rockin' direction.
There's nothing too original here but Grey's vocals have an earthy authenticity and the roots of this music run deep. "I'm on my way back home" he sings on Light A Candle but you get the notion that ,in any event, he's never likely to be away for long.
JJ Grey's website
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