Music review: Gregory Porter
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow ****
He hardly needed to emphasise his credentials to this animated capacity crowd, yet he further ingratiated himself with tales of his former football team, nicknamed the Mighty Scotsmen, a title he happily reclaimed for one night only, while pianist Chip Crawford improvised around Scotland the Brave.
Crawford took the honours on the more exposed ballads but Porter’s entire band were superb, individually and communally, infusing soulful flavours with cool jazz brass as evinced by the Donald Byrd-like On My Way To Harlem, while Porter brought a bluesy timbre to Don’t Lose Your Steam and poured out some gospel balm on Take Me To The Alley.
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Hide AdHis storytelling skills were showcased tenderly on I Wonder Who My Daddy Is, its mellow ache reflected in a burst of Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Even better, his rendition of Mona Lisa was pure pin-drop perfect class, truly breathing fresh perspective into a familiar standard in his modest yet mighty fashion.
FIONA SHEPHERD