An artist whose music is at once timeless yet utterly of its time, Gregory Porter solidifies his standing as his generation’s most soulful jazz singer-songwriter with ‘Take Me to the Alley’, the much-anticipated follow-up to his sensational 2013 Blue Note debut ‘Liquid Spirit’. 

As he’s done on his previous three albums, Porter teamed with producer Kamau Kenyatta to craft a collection of stirring originals that juxtapose the personal and political. Album highlights include a dressed down version of the anthemic ‘Holding On’ – written with Disclosure; the bluesy stomping, organ-enhanced groove of ‘Don’t Lose Your Steam’; sanguine ballad ‘More Than a Woman’; strident, hard-bop excursion ‘Fan the Flames’; the flirtatious ‘French African Queen’ with a vivacious, Nigerian-laden jazz groove; and title track ‘Take Me to the Alley’ on which Porter calls for vigorous, nonviolent protest amidst a flurry of injustices.

The Guardian featured ‘Take Me To The Alley’as Album of The Week, praising its “genre-streddling true grit” and adding that “there’s something undeniable about his talent”. The Telegraph comment that “the high standard of Porter’s songwriting is his secret weapon”, concluding that the album is “impossible to resist”.  

As Porter polishes his artistry as one of our most heartfelt singer-songwriters, his burgeoning body of work will continue to give voice to its modern times while simultaneously echoing the legacy of jazz and soul’s yesteryear and informing generations of musicians to come.