With the heart-on-the-sleeve tunes, the easy like Sunday morning voice, the could have been a contender back story, and, of course, that hat, Gregory Porter looks like a package made in marketing heaven.
But don't be fooled: he's the real deal. The California singer-songwriter has honed his own soulful, gospel-tinged sound over four excellent albums (his last, Liquid Spirit, sold a million and won a Grammy).
And it's only getting better with Take Me to the Alley. Tunes such as Holding On and Don't Lose Your Steam are like baths of warm syrup, while album closers Fan the Flames and French African Queen have enough jazz attitude, courtesy of pianist Chip Crawford and saxophonists Tivon Pennicoott and Yosuke Sato, to keep Porter in with the in-crowd.
