JJ Grey & Mofro: Olustee Review

After a lengthy time away, JJ Grey and his band Mofro have returned with Olustee, Grey’s first album since 2015’s Ol’ Glory. A lot about the world has changed in those nine years, but this new album demonstrates that Grey’s thoughtful approach to songwriting and his ear for balancing the soulful with the serious remains.

Grey is known among his fans as a standout live performer. One of the exciting things about Olustee is that the 11-track album sounds like the perfect collection of material for Grey and his band to bring to the stage. Due out on February 23 via Alligator Records, Olustee strikes a careful balance between unhurried ballads and tracks that feel tailor-made to inject audiences with a dose of energy.

Olustee’s first two tracks provide a direct example of this back and forth. Album opener “The Sea” tests the waters with a slow, heart-wrenching melody that Grey has said was inspired by his own deep appreciation for the sea and its ability to calm the mind. The song is quiet in a way that grabs the listener’s attention, making sure they’re in a calm, neutral space before Grey flips the switch with the album’s second track. If “The Sea” puts audiences in neutral, “Top of the World” pushes them into drive, creating the kind of atmosphere one might expect at the beginning of a party or a concert when everyone in attendance is starting to get warmed up and growing curious about what’s to come.

This pacing strategy continues as JJ Grey & Mofro downshift again for the languid “On a Breeze” before busting into the title track, a bluesy rocker that embraces wailing harmonica and a heavy rhythm. The band slows the pace yet again after “Olustee” for “Seminole Wind,” a track that launches with a beautiful piano introduction before building steadily to a full-bodied and slow-burning rock song. It’s the kind of track one can imagine fans would go crazy for in a live setting.

“Wonderland” and “Free High” serve as additional high-energy tracks, with “Free High” feeling like the kind of hype-up song that could drive audiences onto their feet. “Starry Night” and “Waiting” fit like the teeth in a zipper between “Wonderland,” “Free High” and “Rooster,” giving Grey’s thoughts about love, happiness and self-betterment room to breathe before diving into the song that presumably gave the album its artwork concept. “Rooster” has a sassy style that’s very sure of its sound and confident in Grey’s lyrical delivery. Olustee closes out with “Deeper Than Belief,” a song that echoes the pace and speed of “The Sea” as if from across a large body of water, reflective of the ripples caused by the journey taken to get there.

Olustee benefits from how carefully its songs are spaced out, with high-energy tracks benefiting from the space created on either side of them by calmer pieces. It’s a strong return from an artist who hasn’t released a new album in nearly a decade, and one can’t help but wonder how these songs will sound when they’re played live.

The Review: 7.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Olustee
– Seminole Wind
– Free High
– Rooster

The Big Hit

– Olustee

Buy the album: Amazon