Swamp Talk: an Honest Tune Interview with JJ Grey

http://www.honesttune.com

What can be said about JJ Grey that hasn't been said before. Bringing up Grey in a circle will almost inevitably bring about discussion that in short, is partisan. But the interesting thing about said conversations is that they stay music focused --and for good reason. With Mofro's stellar level of improvisational musicianship at their core, the stage for delivery is laid neatly at JJ's feet and he has run with it.
Aside from this, what is perhaps most compelling -- and possibly dividing -- about Grey is the fact that he fills the aforementioned space with integrity.
Sure, he is a soul singer, songwriter and musician, but there have been a lot of those. What sets Grey apart is his unique ability to lyrically take people into his life through storytelling and have them come out feeling like he was just singing about them. His vocals are guttural, his stage presence is large, his soul shines even when it does so darkly and his overall sound is honest.
With a dual live DVD/CD recently released (Brighter Days), Grey took the opportunity to sit down with Honest Tune a couple of months ago to discuss the album as well as his thoughts on improvisation, songwriting and how he feels that his swampy hometown shows up both lyrically and sonically in his music.

Written by David Shehi / video by Shehi & Rex Thomson

Category:

Music

Tags:

• JJ Grey
• Mofro
• blackwater
• interview
• Shehi
• Honest Tune
• rex-a-vision
• footage
• improvisation
• soul