Liquid Spirit marks Gregory Porter’s Blue Note Records debut, which
arrives on the heels of two critically acclaimed indie label albums that quickly
propelled Porter to the upper echelon of contemporary male jazz singers and
earned him two GRAMMY nominations. Don Was, President of Blue Note, encouraged
Porter to stay true to his artistic vision. “I firmly consider myself a jazz
singer but I enjoy blues, black southern soul, and gospel,” Porter says,
“Those elements make their way inside my music. And I’ve always heard them
in jazz.”
Porter wields one of the most captivating baritone voices in music today. It
emits enormous soul that conveys both the emotions and intellect of any given
song without relying on vocal histrionics.
In part, “Liquid Spirit” is based upon Porter’s reflections on new
fans, worldwide, who come to him saying, “Where have you been?” or “How
come I’ve never heard you before.” “Not saying that I am ‘what is,’
Porter says, “But I think maybe what I’m doing is what people actually want
to hear. There are some people who want that liquid spirit – a soulful,
thoughtful sound – and they haven’t been getting it.”