Ol' Glory
| Ol' Glory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2015 | |||
| Studio | Retrophonics Studios (St. Augustine, FL) | |||
| Length | 58:36 | |||
| Label | Provogue | |||
| Producer |
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| JJ Grey & Mofro chronology | ||||
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Ol' Glory is the seventh studio album by American Southern rock band JJ Grey & Mofro. It was released on February 24, 2015, via Provogue Records, making it the band's only album for the label. Recording sessions took place at Retrophonics Studios in St. Augustine, Florida. Production was handled by Dan Prothero and JJ Grey, with Jesse Aratow serving as executive producer.
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 58/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| American Songwriter |  [3] |
| Classic Rock | [4] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[5] |
Ol' Glory was met with mixed or average reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 58, based on five reviews.[1]
Kris Needs of Classic Rock praised the album, saying "it's on those spiritual slowies that this crew rakes the biggest steps to creating the 21st-century southern masterpiece they are obviously capable of".[4] Lee Zimmerman of PopMatters also gave it a positive review, saying "JJ Grey and Mofro provide a connection to the past and a time when talent and tenacity moved the music forward. Hallelujah for Ol' Glory. It's a prime example of what genuine Americana ought to emulate".[5]
In mixed reviews, AllMusic's Thom Jurek wondered: "too many other tracks have one too many verses, could have used bridges, or been left off altogether. Ol' Glory may reveal a bigger, more multi-dimensional sound for Grey and Mofro, but at what price progress?".[2] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter concluded: "Grey and his band's drive, energy and enthusiasm go a long way to selling this music but at nearly an hour the effect is diluted. Leaving a handful of the weakest cuts in the vaults and honing the best parts from some of the others would have resulted in a stronger outing".[3] Q reviewer resumed: "it's an accomplished production--but an unambitious production, a reluctance to soar".
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by John Higginbotham, except track 6 written with Daryl Hance.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everything is a Song" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "The Island" | 5:03 |
| 3. | "Every Minute" | 4:41 |
| 4. | "A Night to Remember" | 5:29 |
| 5. | "Light a Candle" | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Turn Loose" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Brave Lil' Fighter" | 5:36 |
| 8. | "Home in the Sky" | 4:50 |
| 9. | "Hold on Tight" | 4:34 |
| 10. | "Tic Tac Toe" | 4:38 |
| 11. | "Ol' Glory" | 7:32 |
| 12. | "The Hurricane" | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 58:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Santa Claus, True Love, & Freedom" |
Personnel
[edit]- John "JJ Grey" Higginbotham – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pianica, clavinet, tambourine, dobro, horns arrangement, producer, artwork
- Kalen Dennis – backing vocals
- Andrew Trube – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro
- Anthony Farrell – piano, organ, clavinet
- Anthony Cole – organ, drums, percussion
- Todd Smallie – bass, double bass
- Jeff Dazey – saxophone
- Marcus Parsley – trumpet
- Art Edmaiston – horns arrangement, baritone and tenor saxophone (track 6)
- Luther Dickinson – acoustic guitar & dobro (tracks: 2, 12)
- Derek Trucks – slide guitar & dobro (track 3)
- Dennis Marion – trumpet (track 6)
- Dan Prothero – producer, engineering, photography
- Jim Devito – engineering assistant
- Ken Lee – mastering
- Jesse Aratow – executive producer
- Tibor Nemeth – photography
- Brendan "Spookie" Daly – photography
- Thomas van der Kooi – layout
- Roy Koch – layout
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Ol' Glory - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Ol' Glory - JJ Grey & Mofro | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (February 24, 2015). "JJ Grey & Mofro: Ol' Glory". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Needs, Kris (January 23, 2015). "JJ Grey & Mofro: Ol' Glory". Classic Rock. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Lee (March 6, 2015). "JJ Grey & Mofro: Ol' Glory, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
External links
[edit]- JJ Grey & Mofro – Ol' Glory at Discogs (list of releases)