It’s here! Gregory Porter‘s new album, Take Me To The Alley, will be released on May 6 via Decca Records.
The eagerly awaited follow-up to the man’s platinum-selling Liquid Spirit, which broke into the UK Top 10 and became the most streamed jazz album of all time, was produced by Kamau Kenyatta and features pianist and music director Chip Crawford, bassist Aaron James, drummer Emanuel Harrold, alto saxophonist Yosuke Sato, tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, singer Alicia Olatuja, trumpeter Keyon Harrold and organist Andrej Pivec.
Liquid Spirit took Porter from being the biggest name on the jazz scene to being one of the most sought-after singers around today, performing sell-out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Roundhouse and Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and being invited to perform on high profile TV programmes including Graham Norton, Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC Music Awards.
In addition Gregory was asked to be the guest vocalist on electronic duo Disclosure’s lead single Holding On from their 2015 album Caracal. As a result, he was invited by BBC Radio 1 to perform in Ibiza, where not only the Disclosure track but his own – Liquid Spirit Claptone Remix – became the most popular tracks on the island.
For the first time, the hit track Holding On can be heard in its original form on this new album. Says Gregory: “It’s a way of saying that a song is a song is a song. The lyrics and the intention of the song come through no matter what kind of bells and whistle are going on.”
The Man In The Hat returns to the UK for an extensive headline tour next month, including two London dates.
04 APR London Royal Albert Hall
05 APR Southend Cliffs Pavilion
06 APR Bristol Colston Hall
08 APR Manchester Bridgewater Hall
09 APR Sheffield City Hall
10 APR Edinburgh Festival Theatre
11 APR Aberdeen His Majestys Theatre
12 APR Perth Concert Hall
14 APR Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
15 APR Sage Gateshead
16 APR Leicester De Montfort Hall
17 APR Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
19 APR Brighton Dome
20 APR Cardiff St Davids Hall
21 APR Poole Lighthouse
22 APR Plymouth Pavilions
24 APR Birmingham Symphony Hall
28 APR London Eventim Apollo
