Florida's Mofro know you don't need a studio full of fancy effects to make a funky record. The act's debut CD spins tales from the Blackwater region around "front-porch soul," a stripped-down collection of bottom-heavy beats and hip-shaking rhythms. This is the kind of record G. Love should be making, a flawlessly tight package of funk, gospel, blues, and rock & roll fronted by singer-songwriter J.J. Grey. Although there are a number of instruments filling out the songs--slide guitar, bass, harmonica, keyboards, sax, and percussion--the arrangements all feel sparse enough to create an organic, authentic, easygoing vibe throughout the record. From the early Rolling Stones-esque blues of "Brighter Days," to the mouthwatering funk of "Ho Cake," Blackwater pays the highest respects to this area of northern Florida, both musically and lyrically. --Jennifer Maerz