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Gifted Singer Adds Spice To Rich Funk-Soul Sound

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By CURTIS ROSS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2008

Updated:

There are few things more grating than a self-consciously retro soul singer, painstakingly aping his heroes' every inflection to the point that any question of actual "soul" becomes moot.

Listen to the way JJ Grey sings "Darling" at the start of "The Truth," and it's obvious he doesn't fall into that category.

Grey's naturally warm voice, and his music, balance the smooth and the gritty in ideal measures on "Orange Blossoms."

Grey, who hails from just south of Jacksonville, has won big followings regionally and now nationally for his blend of funk and Southern soul. On "Orange Blossoms," he and co-producer Dan Prothero judiciously add horns and strings to the mix not for sweetening but for added spice. Check the staccato strings toughening the end of the verses on "The Truth."

Grey covers a whole lot of R&B history on "Orange Blossoms," but he makes them all sound fresh. Listen to his mellow burr seeping into the grooves of the electric piano and wah-wah guitar driven "WYLF." Then check out the creeping "Move It Over," which could pass for a secular Staple Singers cut. Grey practically channels Pops here, and the sitar harks back to the Staples' early '70s commercial heyday.

"Higher You Climb" is a driving soul anthem. There's even a salute to "Ybor City," which Grey describes as a place that smells of cigars and sweet, sweet perfume. Well, maybe after they mop up the vomit.

Grey's main musical vein stretches from the Okefenokee to Memphis, but hints of Philly and Motor City creep into "Orange Blossoms." He celebrates the past in his lyrics, but Grey's Florida soul is - happily - looking forward.

Download this: "The Truth"

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