# CD review: Gregory Porter – Still Rising: The Collection 2021: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2021/11/07/cd-review-gregory-porter-still-rising-the-collection-2021-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2021-11-07T13:48:41+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Gregory Porter’s Greatest Hits double album. **

This will be the first EVER hits collection from the seven-time Grammy nominated,
two-time Grammy winner, celebrating Gregory Porter’s decade of success with his 
best songs from 2010 to 2021, multiple brand new songs, bonus material, and new 
recordings of his much-loved global hits.

Leveraging the success of his Grammy-nominated 2020 _All Rise _and timed for the
Holiday season with a couple of Christmas songs, Gregory Porter issues a double 
CD – _Still Rising_ comprised of his favorite hand-picked songs, covers, four new
ones, and a second CD of duets. Disc One is a simile of ‘greatest hits’ although
Porter refers to it as a career to date perspective. Even the album title suggests
this is just a stop along the way. Fans will recognize the classic Porter tunes 
such as “Hey Laura,” “Liquid Spirit,” and “Revival” which kick off the first disc,
with “If Love Is Overrated,” “Holding On,” and “No Love Dying” later appearing. 
Disc Two is a set of 16 duets, each with a different artist featuring such names
as Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Lalah Hathaway, as well as vintage pairings with 
Buddy Holly, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Julie London.

Let’s explore the new songs first. You may have heard the single “I Will,” about
looking to our elders for guidance during dark times. It’s fits beautifully with
Porter’s unfailingly optimistic outlook, one that might be schmaltzy in the hands
of other vocalists, but none of today’s singers have found that special combination
of jazz, soul, gospel, and pop like Porter has. These opening lines to another new
one “Dry Bones,” are the essence of Porter’s approach – _“I won’t die, won’t bury,
won’t sink/’Cause love is a spirit I drink.”_ Produced by Troy Miller, who helmed
_Still Rise,_ it is thematically and emotionally in synch with that album with its
insistent chorus “Rise Up” and has the clapping motif which made his song “Liquid
Spirit” so successful. The commercially sounding “Love Runs Deeper” has an orchestral
backdrop and will appear on Disney’s Holiday ad “From Our Family to Yours.” Finally,“
Bad Girl Love” is a lovely new late-night piano ballad that finds Porter at his 
expressive best with a superb command of dynamics.

In addition to those new songs, Porter delivers a cover of Moby’s “Why Does My Heart
Feel So Bad?” and ends the disc covering Sting’s “It’s Probably Me.” Perusing the
balance, three come _Liquid Spirit, _three from _Water_, three from _All Rise,_ 
and curiously only one from _Take Me to the Alley_. “L.O.V.E” is from his Nat King
Cole tribute album. These are all fine choices, but we could live without his cover
of Willie Dixon’s “My Babe” especially when not including “On My Way to Harlem.”

While the themes of the power of love and his unflagging optimism dominate, his 
protest song “1960 What” that first appeared on 2010’s _Water_ resonates in this
time of increased awareness of racial issues and social unrest. At the time of the
recording Porter said, _“I don’t say ‘1970, what?’ or ‘1980, what?’ but the timelessness
of the song is implied, for when it happens in the next ten years, I hope it doesn’t,
but it probably will. It’s a recurring story if we don’t learn from history.”_ Unfortunately,
ten years passed, and the story recurred, hence the likely choice for the song to
reappear too.

Disc Two gets off to a promising start with the gospel like “Natural Blues” song
with Moby and Native Daughter Amythyst Kiah. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” with
Jamie Cullum is a fair approximation of the original with Porter injecting his signature
soul but the orchestral and vocal backdrops detract from the poignancy that Nina
Simone delivered in her rendition. “Raining in My Heart’ (with Buddy Holly), “People
Will Say We’re In Love” (with Ella Fitzgerald) are on the smooth commercial side.
The oft covered Bill Withers chestnut “Grandma’s Hands” with Ben L’Oncle Soul though
is just bursting with soul, as is “Insanity” with Lalah Hathaway, two of the better
duets.

The sequence of “Make Someone Happy” (w/ Jeff Goldblum), “Fly Me to the Moon” (w/
Julie London), and “Satiated” (w/Dianne Reeves) may please the traditional jazz 
vocal fans but ironically, in the latter two Porter surrenders much of his signature
presence to the females. He presents the world’s most recorded song, “The Girl from
Ipanema,” beginning with the voice of Nat King Cole, joining later, at times singing
over the recorded bed of Cole’s voice. From _Liquid Spirit__ _he presents “Water
under Bridges” with British vocalist Laura Mvula, playfully adding “London Bridge
is falling down” and “Hey Laura” toward the end, giving it a nice touch. “Right 
Where You Are” is lifted from Lizz Wright’s 2015 emotive _Freedom and Surrender_
while “Heart and Soul” comes from Yo-Yo Ma’s 2016 _Sing Me Home_ featuring the leader’s
Silkroad Ensemble and Lisa Fischer along with Porter. Like the duet with Wright,
these two voices blend well together. Porter goes out romantically with Dutch singer
Trijntje Oosterhuis with “Making Love.”  Overall, these duets lean a bit toward 
the pop side excepting the few pointed out above. One of Porter’s gifts is his deep,
emotional uplift, captured so well on all his solo albums, an element that most 
these duets lack.

For the seasonal touch we have the snappy, effusive “Christmas Prayer” with Paloma
Faith and the buoyant “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with Renee Fleming.
_Still Rising_ is a collection, well suitable for gift giving but if one is introducing
the recipient to Porter for the first time, the giver would be better choosing some
combination of Porter’s solo albums, especially those where he has written the material.

**Disc 1**

1 Hey Laura
 2 Liquid Spirit 3 Revival 4 Illusion 5 1960 What? 6 L.O.V.E 7 Holding
On 8 Concorde 9 If Love Is Overrated 10 I Will 11 Real Good Hands 12 My Babe 13 
Bad Girl Love 14 No Love Dying 15 Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? 16 Dry Bones 17
Love Runs Deeper 18 It’s Probably Me

**Disc 2**

1 Natural Blues (with Moby & Amythyst Kiah)
 2 Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (with
Jamie Cullum) 3 Raining in My Heart (with Buddy Holly) 4 People Will Say We’re in
Love (with Ella Fitzgerald) 5 GrandMas’ Hands (with Ben L’Oncle Soul) 6 Christmas
Prayer (with Paloma Faith) 7 Insanity (with Lalah Hathaway) 8 Make Someone Happy(
with Jeff Goldblum) 9 Fly Me to the Moon (with Julie London) 10 Satiated (with Dianne
Reeves) 11 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (with Renée Fleming) 12 The Girl
From Ipanema (with Nat King Cole) 13 Water Under Bridges (with Laura Mvula) 14 Right
Where You Are (with Lizz Wright) 15 Heart and Soul (with Yo-Yo Ma & The Silkroad
Ensemble, Lisa Fischer) 16 Making Love (with Trijntje Oosterhuis)

![Gregory Porter nuevo álbum - Still Rising - The Collection: canciones y  letras
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