Decca/Blue Note have announced the November 5 release of Still Rising, a unique, 34-track collection by stellar jazz vocalist Gregory Porter. Not only is it his first compilation, but the two-disc set includes five brand new tracks and two new arrangements, alongside existing favorites, covers and duets.
“This is my music up until now, but it’s not a ‘Greatest Hits,’ says Porter. “They often come at the end of someone’s career, and I still feel new and young in mine. I have much more to say. There is always something in an artist’s career that people don’t know about; I wanted to bring it to their attention.
“The album title echoes my last one, All Rise, because I am reiterating something evident in my music and the new songs here – this upward-looking optimism about life and love. It’s an unfinished story for me, both musically and personally. And I’m still learning how to do this. Still rising.”
The five new tracks are on the first disc, and are introduced today (1) by the new single “Dry Bones,” written & produced by Troy Miller (Diana Ross, Rag’n’Bone Man, Emeli Sandé). Those are joined on disc one by two new arrangements and nine of Porter’s best-loved songs. Disc two features songs with Paloma Faith, Moby, Jamie Cullum, Jeff Goldblum, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more.
The two-time Grammy winner has been a fixture in recent years on such staple TV shows as Later With Jools Holland, Graham Norton, and Strictly Come Dancing. He was the first celebrity to sing on CBeebies Bedtime Stories and, in 2019, launched and hosted his own podcast, The Hang, which has run for two successful series to date and hosted a wide range of Porter’s celebrity guests.
Earlier this year, he released The PorterHouse with Gregory Porter, a six-episode cooking series presented by Citi in which the entertainer shares recipes inspired by his local community, culinary experiences from his tours, and his own family cooking traditions.
After a long break from the stage caused by Covid, Porter returns to live performance with four performances, across three dates, at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 13,14 and 16. A wider UK tour follows in May 2022.
Pre-order Gregory Porter’s Still Rising, which is released on November 5.
The full Still Rising tracklist is:
CD 1
01 – Hey Laura
02 – Liquid Spirit
03 – Revival
04 – Illusion
05 – 1960 What?
06 – L.O.V.E
07 – Holding On
08 – Concorde
09 – 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
CD2
01 – Natural Blues (with Moby & Amythyst Kiah)
02 – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (with Jamie Cullum)
03 – Raining in My Heart (with Buddy Holly)
04 – People Will Say We’re in Love (with Ella Fitzgerald)
05 – GrandMas’ Hands (with Ben L’Oncle Soul)
06 – Christmas Prayer (with Paloma Faith)
07 – Insanity (with Lalah Hathaway)
08 – Make Someone Happy (with Jeff Goldblum)
09 – 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)