The intriguing “Bling Bling” is a scorcher with its scat break and high-energy arrangement and Gregory’s take on Nat Adderley’s “Work Song” brings the house down. It's a better balanced Porter album than formerly, and as classily polished and confident as is usual from Blue Note. The acclaimed blues, soul and jazzman Gregory Porter is a Grammy Award-winning vocalist who came into our fold with Liquid Spirit, released in 2013 on the prestigious Blue Note label. Mike Hobart of Financial Times wrote "Gregory Porter ’s largely self-penned major label debut is an artful and free-spirited blend of love songs, social commentary and reflections on life. Saxophonist David Murray featured Gregory on his album Be My Monster Loveand the great Anita Wilson featured him on her Motown Christmas.

Recorded in summer of 2009 at North Six Media Lab in Brooklyn the specialists include pianist Chip Crawford (Gregory’s fellow arranger), alto saxophonists James Spaulding and Yoske Sato; thrilling blasts of trumpet and trombone put meat on the bone of stand-out cuts “Magic Cup”, “Black Nile” and the superbly improvised “1960 What? Porter has also hosted his own podcast, entitled The Hang, for which he was joined by such distinguished guests as Annie Lennox and Jeff Goldblum, among others. Perhaps the most personal number is “Musical Genocide”, where Porter laments “the death of blues, of soul”. Porter’s singing is superb on the ballads “When Love Was King” and “Wolfcry”, and his way with an old and prescient soul-jazz hit like “The ‘In’ Crowd” (made famous by Ramsey Lewis) is irresistible. Liquid Spirit was recorded at Sear Sound, keeping it on a New York tip, and mixed at The Grateful Shed.

The international success of Liquid Spirit has made Porter an in-demand act globally but when he isn’t spreading the word he’s happy to get home to his Russian wife and young son in Brooklyn. He became the first celebrity to sing a lullaby on CBeebies Bedtime Stories and lent his distinctive voice to children’s BBC favorite Numberblocks!

Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault] Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault] Thriller “Slut! Liquid Spirit is Porter's debut for Blue Note, and its title track is the kind of gospelly, handclapping swinger the singer excels on, while Lonesome Lover is a coolly smouldering mid-tempo feature that could have graced a Blue Note set back in the 1960s. And so to his major label breakthrough, the sparkling Liquid Spirit where he reworks “Water Under Bridges” as a mesmerizing duet with Laura Mvula. The lyrics are heart-on-sleeve, and occasionally odd, but Porter's rich baritone oozes confidence and brings each syllable life".The newly-announced show is part of the prestigious venue’s ‘Christmas At The Royal Albert Hall’ series. By ticking the SMS opt in box and submitting this form, I agree to receive text messages from and about Gregory Porter (including prerecorded and/or by autodialer). It won the best 2014 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and reached top 10 in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and the UK. The steady-gaze frankness of Hey Laura is a standout, and Wolfcry is delivered with an expert ballad eloquence almost in Tony Bennett's range. But it's the funky groovers on which he sounds most at home, such as the organ-swirling, horn-pumping Free, and a teasingly casual account of the 60s hit The In Crowd.

Pianist Chip Crawford and the band are impeccable, endlessly versatile, putting a glow on every song, from the ring-shoutlike title track to the pop-folk loveliness of “Wind Song. Hailed by public and critics alike, Liquid Spirit won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014. Porter has performed at numerous festivals around the world, gracing the famous Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.

Instantly recognisable thanks to his trademark Kangol flat cap Gregory has sent critics scurrying for superlatives with many seeing him as heir apparent to a rich tradition of soul greats including Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway and even Nat King Cole. The strength of Liquid Spirit lies in Porter's songs, based upon personal experiences with a relatable and emotional immediacy. The organ and horn powered “Free” is a get-up-and-dance belter; “The ‘In’ Crowd” is cool personified. Follow-up disc Be Good (2012) nailed it again with the modern classic “On My Way To Harlem” conjuring up images of Duke Ellington while Chip Crawford and the guys set up the mood. Porter sounds great, engages with audiences, and sings songs you can go away humming - and he's sentimental, which puts off hardcore jazzers but hooks a big slice of everybody else.