The man beneath the hat: Getting to know Gregory Porter’s favourite albums
Renowned for his incredible voice and equally astounding Kangol Summer Spitfire, both the vocals and iconic crowning cotton appendage of Gregory Porter have a cashmere quality. His music is sonic central heating; it dims the lights and gives the room a golden glow, while his wholesome timbre offers the soul a little comfort blanket. He is, in short, a timeless figure in the modern music industry, and he welcomes you into his world.
As a proficient song coverer, he makes no secret about the music that moves him. Having released the record Nat King Cole & Me in 2017, it’s no surprise to see the legendary artist feature amid his favourite albums. Porter opts for the silken-voiced storyteller’s classic record After Midnight. “When I was five or six, I got into my mother’s records,” he told the Express. “She said I sounded like Nat, so I had to find out who this person was. Nat was one of those special artists: an extremely gifted jazz pianist, vocalist and communicator but serious on all levels. His approach to the music has been influential.”
In amongst that soul, there is also plenty of pop sensibility to Porter’s output, which is perhaps also why it’s not surprising to see the master Stevie Wonder make the list. “Stevie has a supernatural insight into emotion and nature. There are beautiful love songs on this,” he said of the Motown classic Fulfillingness’ First Finale. “The vulnerability of Too Shy To Say is haunting. His music was the fabric of my childhood, and now we’re friends, which is surreal.”
That same characteristic can also be said of his next choice; Sarah Vaughan’s Copacabana. Clearly, spiritual beauty is something he strives for, stating: “She went to Brazil, and there are some different rhythms on this. As a mature woman at this time, her voice was richer, but she shows such restraint on the ballads. You know she has all this gasoline to burn, but she doesn’t. It’s powerful. It is late-night music, but I like to be put in that mood in the morning!”
This joy of jiving rhythm might not always be the core of his own music, but it’s a realm his record collection is brimming with. “I love Roach’s playing on drums,” he said of the Max Roach jazz record We Insist, “but mostly the emotional depth of Abbey Lincoln’s vocals. This makes a political statement and expresses humanity and desire. It says we insist on equality – a valuable thing to say.”
Elsewhere, he went for the rather more obvious masterpiece of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, but the binding tie of storytelling in a more hushed sense comes from his beloved Bill Withers. “I like how his music is so approachable and soulful with eloquent poetry,” he said of Still Bill. “He’s an extension of an earlier time of blues men. His musical expression is political and personal. He made me think of love songs in a different way, not just ooh baby baby. He wrote the best friendship song in ‘Lean On Me’.”
Gregory Porter’s favourite albums of all time:
- After Midnight – Nat King Cole
- Fulfillingness’ First Finale – Stevie Wonder
- Copacabana – Sarah Vaughan
- We Insist – Max Roach
- What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
- Still Bill – Bill Withers
And as a little gift, we’ve wrapped all these albums up in the playlist below. This is ideal music to rustle up a brew with and sink into the day. Thanks for the blissful taste, Mr Porter.
