George HaffendenThe UK’s current favourite jazz singer teases fans of a new album this year, and a UK tour next Spring.
Two time Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter has announced the release of his fifth solo album, Nat “King” Cole & Me, on October 27th, to be released Universal Bluenote. UK fans are also being treated to a full tour next Spring, including two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall which is set to feature Porter, his touring band, and a full orchestra. Tickets are on sale now.
As a teaser for the album and tour, Porter has released the first single of the new album, his version of the Cole classic ‘Smile’.
Porter is undeniably one the best voices of recent years; his first two solo records on Montema Music revealed a deeply creative and imaginative jazz artist, while his two albums on Bluenote have seen Porter become an international star and one of the faces of modern jazz. Whilst we would probably listen to anything Porter sings (his voice is, after all, like a warm blanket wrapped around you) an album of Nat “King” Cole covers is hardly ground-breaking. After all, a plethora of Nat “King” Cole tribute albums already exist, and some are naturally better than others (we’d recommend checking out Natalie Cole and George Benson’s tributes for top-notch recordings). One might even suggest a late October release is a cynical move by his record label to get a foot in the lucrative festive market.
Porter’s new album ‘Nat “King” Cole’ and me is out October 27th.
Porter however seems genuinely excited by the album, speaking of his admiration for Nat “King” Cole and his happiness at being able to record his favourite Cole songs. Let’s hope Porter does both Cole and himself justice on his latest release.