Miss Mojo’s ‘Up & Personal’ emulates intimacy of live, funky show

Courtesy of Rob Kellner

Courtesy of Rob Kellner

Miss Mojo brings the same energy to its recorded tracks on its first album, “Up & Personal,” that it does in live performances. The album allows any listener to bring the joy of a funky soul pop concert to any occasion.

“We basically call [the album] that because it’s our debut offering, our first chance for people to put us in their headphones and get intimate with our sound and our message,” bassist Leo Skovron said.

The first song, “Up & Personal,” is the oldest song still played by the band. Following is “Feel My,” the band’s feel-good song. “22 Questions” is the song that aided Miss Mojo in finding its new sound, also offering a look into how the band makes its music.

“Cody the guitarist, he came first with this guitar riff that the rhythm section then built the basis of the song on,” keyboardist Rob Kellner said. “Then Mack and Jenna and Piper worked on the lyrics together. Then Jeremy and Ashton came up with the horn line. All these different subsections of the band who all have unique offerings and unique creative energy really come together and make something that is really cohesive and sounds really nice.”

“Epiphany” came from a vision that Kellner had for a melody, while “Fuego” evokes the feeling of being on Frenchmen Street on a Saturday. “Woman” represents the band’s embrace of its femininity, as two women are its lead singers.

Miss Mojo’s first recorded release is a cohesive and creative work. Miss Mojo, like many student bands, made its start with great covers to classic hits. As a mature, full-fledged group, it  has found an established sound and brought it to an online platform for those outside of New Orleans to enjoy.

Stream “Up & Personal” below.

Sam Ergina contributed to this story.

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