Gregory Porter
has the kind of warm, enveloping voice that just seems to flow forever on his sixth studio album, 2020's buoyantly sophisticated
All Rise!
It's a sound that has earned him heaps of well-earned critical praise, not to mention six Grammy Award nominations, including wins for 2013's
Liquid Spirit
and 2016's
Take Me to the Alley
. Following his urbane 2017 tribute album
Nat King Cole & Me
,
Porter
returns to his original, crossover blend of vintage-inspired soul, jazz, and pop with
Joining him is British producer
Troy Miller
, who has helmed similarly genre-bending albums by
Emeli Sande
Jamie Cullum
Laura Mvula
, and others. Also producing a handful of tracks is
Kamau Kenyatta
, who has worked on all of
's previous albums. Returning is
's longtime quartet featuring pianist
Chip Crawford
, bassist
Jahmal Nichols
, drummer
Emanuel Harrold
, and saxophonist
Tivon Pennicott
. They are augmented at various times by a horn section, a vocal choir, and on several tracks, the
London Symphony Orchestra Strings
. Thankfully,
Miller
and
Kenyatta
know exactly where and how to frame
, never getting in his way but adding just the right amount of organic textures and old-school grooves to the singer's already evocative songs. There's a vintage quality to much of
as
dips into his long-standing love '70s soul. "Faith in Love" is a
Marvin Gaye
-style ballad, punctuated by rich gospel backing vocals and angular orchestral accents. Similarly, the shimmering "Merchants of Paradise" finds
backed by spacey, cinematic strings and jazzy soprano sax solo from
Pennicott
, all of which brings to mind an impossibly accomplished combination of
Terry Callier
Scott Walker
. Equally engaging are tracks like the uplifting "Concorde," the earthy "Dad Gone Thing," and the ebullient "Everything You Touch Is Gold," the latter of which features a lyrical trumpet solo from guest
Keyon Harrold
. While the album certainly benefits from all of the rich production flair,
commands your attention even when he's singing rubato accompanied only by a piano, as he does on the opening to "Real Truth," his big, sun-dappled baritone pulling you deep inside the song. Particularly enrapturing is "If Love Is Overrated," in which
, his voice floating longingly against strings and
Crawford
's delicate Rhodes keyboard, embraces unabashed romance in an era rife with cynicism. He sings, "If love is overrated/Let me be the one that is naive/If love is overrated/Let me be the one that is deceived." Ultimately, there's nothing deceiving and everything to celebrate about
's
~ Matt Collar