Gregory Porter – Take Me To the Alley, review: ‘strength, heart, authority and vulnerability’

Is it possible for Britain to love Gregory Porter any more than we already do?

The golden-voiced crooner in the hat has only just wowed us with a sold-out 18-date national tour and a cover of Purple Rain that outdid everybody else’s Prince tributes on Later…With Jools Holland.

But now here comes the follow-up to his Grammy-winning, platinum-selling album Liquid Spirit and (cue sighs of relief), it’s a work that refreshes Porter’s popular formula of strength and heart, authority and vulnerability.

Expressive, self-penned songs such as Don’t Lose Your Steam and More Than A Woman - written for his young son and mother respectively - are invested with metaphor and meaning; there’s bite in the fierce, pan-African track French African Queen and sunshine and air in a stripped back Holding On.

Add deft musical backing and clever, jazzy arrangements… With this new album, Mr Porter, you are really spoiling us.

(Blue Note)