The first time I heard Gregory Porter (on his debut disc) I thought he was some obscure old timer from the 70s who was making one last jazz record to show the 21st Century what it’s been missing. Little did I know it was a young Christian guy from Brooklyn just starting out. He sounded like the second coming of Bill Withers, full of soul and with original material that sounded as from the heart as his delivery. Here’s his third disc, and this guy just keeps getting better.
He works with the team of Chip Crawford/p, Aaron James/b, Emanuel Harrold/dr and a mix and match horn section of Yosuke Sato/as, Tivon Pennicott/ts and Curtis Taylor/tp on a collection that’s almost all his own compositions. On “No Love Dying” and “Free” he brings back a soulful strut that hasn’t been unearthed in decades. His vocal entrance on the latter is as lyrical and exciting as a Lee Morgan trumpet solo, while a gospel driven title track his him snapping like a revival meeting. On lonely ballads such as “Water Under Bridges” he can sound melodious, vulnerable and yet conversations, the foreboding “Musical Genocide” has him sounding like an authoritative prophet On this and other songs such as the mesmerizing jeremiad “When Love Was King,” you can’t help but wonder where this minstrel is taking you, but you want to keep following him, as he delivers the message while the piano seques into a gentle trio. His take of the classic “The In Crowd” has him hiply behind the beat, while the closing “I Fall In Love Too Easily” with simple piano and bass is arrestingly distraught and regretful. After listening to this disc, you’ll no longer be satisfied with the polished posers that are out these days for your entertainment time and dollars. This guys a game changer!
Blue Note Records