Alligator

The sound of Northern Florida’s swampland comes through in every song on Jacksonville-based act JJ Grey & MOFRO’s sublime fifth studio album, Georgia Warhorse. Named after a type of feisty, elusive grasshopper that you can only find down South, Georgia Warhorse features 11 swamp-infused tracks that can be described better as stories than songs. A number of Grey’s longtime friends and influences lend a hand. Fellow Jacksonvillian Derek Trucks adds incendiary slide to “Lullaby,” while reggae legend Toots Hibbert shares vocals with Grey on the Stax-influenced Memphis soul of “The Sweetest Thing.” The guest spots are stellar but the true MVPs are Grey’s signature throaty vocals and honest lyrics as displayed in the slow-burning “Slow, Hot & Sweaty.” Georgia Warhorse shows Southern rock is still progressing as a genre, thanks in part to the work of Grey and his band.