GREGORY PORTER 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Ella Fitzgerald has a spotless discography that is packed with many a classic tunes but for plenty of fans and critics alike, Let No Man Write My Epitaph is one of her ultimate standouts. She recorded the album back in 1960 with backing from the pianist Paul Smith. The album takes its name from the movie in which Fitzgerald starred and hits some truly rare depth of emotional understanding. It helped secure Ella's status as one of the finest translators of the Great American Songbook and now Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series transfers the originals from analog tapes and has remastered them on to 180-gram vinyl complete with deluxe gatefold packaging.

Review: Gregory Porter's beautifully buttery baritone has won him plenty of acclaim, fans, and Grammy nominations. How up to his sixth album, the jazz and soul singer is back to uplift you with his heart-felt, joyful celebrations. Of course, the whole affair is perfectly smooth and seductive, but also mighty powerful. Tracks like "Faith in Love" are string laced and upbeat songs to get a wedding crowd in a spin, "Long List Of Troubles" is a dramatic, dynamic jazz anthem and "Modern Day Apprentice" is a trend, stripped back song from, and to, the heart. This is another record that spans the ages in some style.

Review: Gregory Porter's rise to superstar status has been built on a string of fine albums that blur the boundaries between soul and contemporary jazz. This time around, he's decided to do something different, delivering a heartfelt and well-meaning tribute to the work of legendary jazz vocalist Nat King Cole. Musically, there are few surprises, with Porter and his musical collaborators largely recreating the sweeping, string-drenched sound familiar from Nat King Cole's work. Porter is arguably a more powerful and versatile vocalist than Cole - and, yes, we're aware that this is a bold claim - so he somehow gets a little more out of familiar staples such as "Nature Boy", "Smile" and "Mona Lisa". It wouldn't be a Nat King Cole tribute without some festive fare, so it's fitting to see Porter include a fine cover of "The Christmas Song".

Review: Gregory Porter's rise to superstar status has been built on a string of fine albums that blur the boundaries between soul and contemporary jazz. This time around, he's decided to do something different, delivering a heartfelt and well-meaning tribute to the work of legendary jazz vocalist Nat King Cole. Musically, there are few surprises, with Porter and his musical collaborators largely recreating the sweeping, string-drenched sound familiar from Nat King Cole's work. Porter is arguably a more powerful and versatile vocalist than Cole - and, yes, we're aware that this is a bold claim - so he somehow gets a little more out of familiar staples such as "Nature Boy", "Smile" and "Mona Lisa". It wouldn't be a Nat King Cole tribute without some festive fare, so it's fitting to see Porter include a fine cover of "The Christmas Song".

Review: Gregory Porter's rise to superstar status has been built on a string of fine albums that blur the boundaries between soul and contemporary jazz. This time around, he's decided to do something different, delivering a heartfelt and well-meaning tribute to the work of legendary jazz vocalist Nat King Cole. Musically, there are few surprises, with Porter and his musical collaborators largely recreating the sweeping, string-drenched sound familiar from Nat King Cole's work. Porter is arguably a more powerful and versatile vocalist than Cole - and, yes, we're aware that this is a bold claim - so he somehow gets a little more out of familiar staples such as "Nature Boy", "Smile" and "Mona Lisa". It wouldn't be a Nat King Cole tribute without some festive fare, so it's fitting to see Porter include a fine cover of "The Christmas Song".

Review: It would be fair to say that Gregory Porter is a man on the rise. In the four years since he made his debut, the jazz singer-songwriter has become one of the most name-checked soul men on the planet. Take Me To The Alley, his first album for three years, sees him flexing his musical muscles more impressively than ever before. After opening with the beautiful Marvin Gaye style "Holding On", and Curtis Mayfield-goes jazz thrills of "Don't Lose Your Steam", the singer-songwriter runs through a series of up-tempo and down-tempo compositions that sit somewhere between classic soul and evocative jazz.

Review: It would be fair to say that Gregory Porter is a man on the rise. In the four years since he made his debut, the jazz singer-songwriter has become one of the most name-checked soul men on the planet. Take Me To The Alley, his first album for three years, sees him flexing his musical muscles more impressively than ever before. Much of the material sits somewhere between Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sammy Davis Jnr and Nat King Cole, with Porter's effortlessly evocative vocals accompanied by smooth jazz pianos, winding horns, shuffling drums and undulating double bass. This 'Deluxe Edition' comes bundled with a DVD containing a wealth of videos, alternate versions and, most interestingly, a 20-minute interview with Don Was.

Review: It would be fair to say that Gregory Porter is a man on the rise. In the four years since he made his debut, the jazz singer-songwriter has become one of the most name-checked soul men on the planet. Take Me To The Alley, his first album for three years, sees him flexing his musical muscles more impressively than ever before. After opening with the beautiful Marvin Gaye style "Holding On", and Curtis Mayfield-goes jazz thrills of "Don't Lose Your Steam", the singer-songwriter runs through a series of up-tempo and down-tempo compositions that sit somewhere between classic soul and evocative jazz.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but product unopened and in perfect working order***


It would be fair to say that Gregory Porter is a man on the rise. In the four years since he made his debut, the jazz singer-songwriter has become one of the most name-checked soul men on the planet. Take Me To The Alley, his first album for three years, sees him flexing his musical muscles more impressively than ever before. After opening with the beautiful Marvin Gaye style "Holding On", and Curtis Mayfield-goes jazz thrills of "Don't Lose Your Steam", the singer-songwriter runs through a series of up-tempo and down-tempo compositions that sit somewhere between classic soul and evocative jazz.