With Take Me To The Alley, Gregory Porter delivered a deeply personal and politically resonant follow-up to his million-selling, Grammy-winning Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit. Recorded in the autumn of 2015 at Sear Sound in New York City and Capitol Studio B in Hollywood, the album finds Porter once again partnering with his long-time producer Kamau Kenyatta to craft a collection of stirring originals that deftly balance the intimate and the universal. From the reimagined acoustic rendering of Holding On - originally co-written with British electronic duo Disclosure - to the sombre, parable-like title track Take Me To The Alley, Porter demonstrates an artist fully in command of his craft and his convictions.

The album moves fluidly between soul-drenched balladry and socially conscious songwriting, with Porter's rich, enveloping baritone anchoring every moment. Tracks like Don't Lose Your Steam and Fan The Flames carry a strident, Gil Scott-Heron-esque urgency, while In Heaven - its lyric penned by Porter's cousin - meditates on death and redemption over muted trumpet. French African Queen and Consequence Of Love round out an album that confirms Porter as one of the most compelling jazz singer-songwriters of his generation, equally at home in the tradition and utterly of his time.

• Grammy-nominated fourth studio album by one of contemporary jazz's most distinctive voices, originally released in May 2016
• 12-track vinyl LP pressing in gatefold jacket
• Features guest appearances by trumpeter Keyon Harrold, vocalist Alicia Olatuja, and organist Ondrej Pivec

Personnel
Gregory Porter – vocals
Chip Crawford – piano, music director
Aaron James – bass
Emanuel Harrold – drums
Yosuke Sato – alto saxophone
Tivon Pennicott – tenor saxophone
Keyon Harrold – trumpet
Ondrej Pivec – organ
Alicia Olatuja – vocals
Kamau Kenyatta – producer

Tracklist

Side A
1. Holding On
2. Don't Lose Your Steam
3. Take Me To The Alley

SIde B
4. Day Dream
5. Consequence Of Love
6. In Fashion

Side C
7. More Than A Woman
8. In Heaven
9. Insanity

Side D
10. Don't Be A Fool
11. Fan The Flames
12. French African Queen