On his fifth studio album, 2017's lovingly produced
Nat "King" Cole & Me, singer
Gregory Porter takes a purposefully traditional approach, paying tribute to one of his biggest influences, legendary vocal icon
Nat King Cole. To help craft his tribute,
Porter recorded the album with Grammy Award-winning arranger
Vince Mendoza and the illustrious
London Studio Orchestra, as well as several tracks featuring Los Angeles studio stalwarts. Also on board are
Porter's longtime bandmates, pianist
Christian Sands, bassist
Reuben Rogers, and drummer Ulysses Owens. While primarily known for his contemporary, genre-crossing style of jazz and R&B,
Porter here leans nicely into a distinctly old-school sound.
Mendoza frames the singer's warm, supple voice with shimmering orchestral arrangements that wouldn't be out of place during the golden age of '50s and early-'60s traditional pop. While never mimicking
Cole's distinctive style,
Porter manages to straddle the line between evincing the storied artist's burnished vocal sound, and displaying his own virtuoso talents. Tracks like the
Cole songbook regulars "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," and "The Christmas Song" are lushly arranged renditions that envelop the listener. Also engaging are the upbeat swingers like "Ballerina" and "L-O-V-E," which features a guest solo appearance from trumpeter
Terence Blanchard. There's also a cinematic quality to many of the cuts, as on "Miss Otis Regrets," in which
Mendoza's dramatic, classical-tinged opening quickly settles into an intimate, candlelit reading of the melancholy classic.
Porter even applies his vintage-influenced approach to a reworking of his original "When Love Was King." Romantic, sophisticated, and rich with vocal prowess,
Nat "King" Cole & Me lives up to both
Cole and
Porter's own immense creative reputations. ~ Matt Collar