Gregory Porter: Live in Berlin

Singer-songwriter Gregory Porter, winner of the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album (Liquid Spirit), performs with his exciting quartet before an appreciative audience in Berlin in this May 2016 concert featuring a 16-song set that mixes R&B, soul, and jazz. Porter begins with the urgent yet sweet gospel sound of “Holding On,” then quickly segues into the bluesy “On My Way to Harlem,” a subtle protest song about the gentrification of the classic African-American neighborhood. Some delicious scat-singing and a rich saxophone solo deepen the experience, which ends with a nod to Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On.” The remarkable “Take Me to the Alley” is a beautiful and melodically complex song about the redemptive value of people helping others, and the Gaye influence on Porter's style returns with the heartbreaker “Hey Laura.” One can hear, too, the spirit of doo-wop and soul masters The Impressions in a couple of Porter's songs, especially “Consequence of Love” and the Curtis Mayfield-like “Free.” Other highlights include a hat tip to the Temptations (“Papa Was a Rolling Stone”) and the delicate, reflective “Water Under Bridges.” Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a pair of bonus audio CDs featuring all of the songs. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)