Gregory Porter – Take Me to the Alley (2LPs, Universal)

Gregory Porter is the world’s most successful contemporary jazz singer, that much is known. But what few people know: His career got the decisive impetus from Germany in 2013. His German fans made him a gold and then a platinum star in this country, when all other countries were still in the process of discovering the exceptional artist for themselves. Three years later he is a superstar at festivals from Europe to Asia and a recording artist who was unusually successful in these times with over a million Liquid Spirit albums sold worldwide. But you could already tell from his first two albums, Water and Be Good, that a very special talent was developing here. A songwriter with great sensitivity and an interpreter who literally has an incomparable presence and impact. Gregory Porter doesn’t fit into any category, so you don’t have to try to pigeonhole his case. What a stroke of luck. Take Me To The Alley is his fourth album, the second on the legendary Blue Note label.