Everybody knows what to expect from a Gregory Porter album and I suspect that this Christmas offering is exactly what you would expect of a Gregory Porter Christmas album. Those hoping for a festive celebration of Ornette Coleman arranged for spoons and kazoo will have to look elsewhere. There’s a selection of classics (Christmas Waltz, Little Drummer Boy, What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?, Do You Hear What I Hear), a carol (Silent Night), and some new ones from Mr Porter himself (Everything’s Not Lost, Christmas Wish, Heart For Christmas) and at the heart of each song is That Voice.
If you have
listened to much Gregory Porter you will be familiar with his ability to ride
every vocal line no matter how long it is or how it twists and turns and he
shows this ability to its full extent across this album, dipping and weaving
along and around the melody line. He runs through a range of styles from funk,
soul, gospel and ballads. Of course the voice itself is rich, masculine but
never arrogant, pleading, embracing, wrapping the listener up a warm, secure, comforting
place.
Samara Joy joins
in on What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? and
the Orchestra provides a full widescreen backing to drag you back to an under-lit,
smoky dive with a brief tenor solo from Pennicott to restate the question for
those who didn’t get it the first time.
It’s one to listen
to whilst making the lunch on Christmas morning, (hopefully for fewer than go
to Mr
Porter's on the day).
Christmas Wish is now available everywhere (I bought mine
in Asda). Dave Sayer
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