Orange Blossoms - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
ORANGE BLOSSOMS, produced by long-time cohort Dan Prothero and Grey, was recorded in north Florida and boasts some of Grey's most profound and moving music to date. The album features 12 songs (including 11 Grey originals) inspired by Grey's life experiences and visionary observations. With long-time friend and guitarist Daryl Hance, bassist/organist Adam Scone, drummer Anthony Cole, and the Hercules Horns of saxophonist Art Edmaiston and trumpeter Dennis Marion, Grey moves effortlessly from gospel-tent fervor to Southern-fried rockers to deeply emotional soul. ORANGE BLOSSOMS is a groove-driven masterpiece fueled by JJ's gritty, smoldering vocals and intense, funk-infused guitar and keyboard work.

Album Description
With 2007's Country Ghetto, the fan base for JJ Grey & Mofro's gritty, funky Southern rock `n' soul grew by leaps and bounds. The title posted a 50% increase in sales over their previous release (2004's Lochloosa), scanning over 30,000 units in less than 18 months. With Grey's new release, Orange Blossoms, he and Alligator are gearing up for another jump in sales. Orange Blossoms is a masterpiece of soul-shaking music, as JJ's deep Southern roots and skill as a storyteller shine through, whether he's rocking with gospel-tent fervor or slowly winding his raspy voice around a lyric of heartbreak and loss. It's an aggressively groove-driven record fueled by JJ's gritty, smoldering vocals and funk-infused guitar playing.

Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Damn! August 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

JJ Grey & Mofro have done it again. I own all four of their CD's and they are all outstanding. When you play a Mofro CD you can see the Spanish moss, pine trees, and kudzu in your mind. You can smell the steaming hot cornbread and black eyed peas and feel the humidity of the deep South. From laying outside in the grass watching fire flies to heading to Ybor City to find a woman to love you "out yo mind" Mofro takes you there with more authentic funk and soul than anyone else. On "Orange Blossoms" JJ Grey works in horns, strings, and background singers to augment the soulful slide of Daryl Hance, the "in the pocket" drumming of Anthony Cole and the funky keyboard of Adam Scone. The musicianship is extraordinary and the production rivals anything Stax or Muscle Shoals has produced.

Buy this CD and get your tickets to see them live. Mofro tours relentlessly and they will be appearing somewhere close to you. Don't miss out.

5 out of 5 stars

thanks again to mofro August 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I'm a long time fan of Mofro (i have no problem with the name change, though i know many do...they changed labels -thats it) and i listened to this album at least 4 times through by now. each album is amazing, and this one is no different. but it is different! there are less references to florida and more mention of the seductive ladies...hmm...i hope the road isn't getting to them! however, that aside, i am blown away by jj's voice on this album. he goes from that smokey gritty swamp sound then to a smooth high tone on 'she don't know' and everywhere in between. they are continuing to evolve but maintaining their mofro sound. Mofro will be present in charlotte in october and i'm counting the days to hear this album live. right on!

3 out of 5 stars

Over-produced? September 3, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I don't think I've ever thought that a record was produced too well, but this might be it. I actually enjoyed the grizzly feel to older mofro albums. JJ's voice sounds great on this record, but the songs are too bland. They seem to have gone from swamp rock to mainstream blues. Finally, while their overall type of music seems to have taken a fairly large change, almost every record on this album sounds the same as the next.

Highlights are On Fire and Everything Bad is Good.

5 out of 5 stars

You'll be able to smell the orange blossoms after this too! September 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Orange Blossoms is a great album, and if you like JJ Grey & MOFRO, you should like this album. Like all their music, Orange Blossoms effortlessly evokes feelings of coming of age, living, and loving in a Florida quickly consigning itself to the dustbin of history. That's a lot of emotion to pack into 12 songs, but JJ Grey's vocal abilities and MOFRO's musical prowess easily carry the load.

As a native Floridian straight out of the bayous of Northwestern Florida, I'll say there's good reason why the word "swamp" is often mentioned in the same breath with this group's name. After a childhood of nights on the porch, staring into the darkness of the bay trees and listening to the crickets chirp, I can tell you that the music playing in my head belonged to this band, I just didn't realize it then.

That being said, this album isn't as strong as Lochloosa or Country Ghetto. As I listened to the album for the first time, I felt a slight disappointment at the relatively subdued feeling of the first few songs. My final opinion of the whole album changed when I hit Track 11, however. "Ybor City" is, for me, the best song on the album by far. Its upbeat tempo, raucous lyrics, and musicianship really set it apart.

If the slower songs are more your predilection, as they sometimes are for me, several of these also stand out as particularly poignant. "I Believe (In Everything)" and "Dew Drops" hit the spot.

Other strong numbers on the album include "On Fire" and the title track, "Orange Blossoms," probably my second favorite song.

Bottom Line: If you like JJ Grey & MOFRO and enjoy the sounds of a Florida which has more culture and meaning than Disney World, Condos, and Tourists, then this album is a must have.

4 out of 5 stars

Good Album, bad encoding...? September 10, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Enjoying the album... at least one of the tracks skips (track 3, about 40 seconds in). Anyone else?

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