#OnRepeat: Gregory Porter's "Liquid Spirit"

For this Thursday's #OnRepeat post, I want to talk about an artist that is not only playing on repeat on my phone constantly, but has also inspired me greatly as a performer, singer and musician. Gregory Porter's Grammy-Award-winning album, "Liquid Spirit", is the third of his albums and the most well-written of the three. This baritone singer mixes Jazz, Soul, Funk and R&B in his music and his tone is reminiscent of Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers, with all the warmth and charisma of Nat King Cole.

One of the songs on this album that I honestly can't get enough of is the title track off the album, "Liquid Spirit." The song showcases Porter's hard-hitting, powerful side of his vocal ability while displaying musically his gospel influence. The lyrics are attention-grabbing, catchy and poignant all at the same time.

I love it when musicians don't stick to traditional song form and use simplistic lyrics to get a message across. This is especially true with Gregory Porter's "Hey Laura." He repeats one verse over and over, but the message of a man not quite understanding that the woman he loves doesn't love him anymore becomes even more heart-breaking as the song continues. The music imitates his sense of being stuck in the past and his isolation as he comes to the realization that his love has moved on. It's a truly a great song.

"No Love Dying" has to be mentioned also because of the message it conveys. I am also very partial to this song because this is the song that gave me my "shooting star" moment (from a earlier blog post about influences) and also made me weep like a woman watching a soap opera. There is so much belief for deep, unbreakable love in this song and this particular video really shows how Gregory Porter can fill the space with his presence, even with just two musicians in the room.

Gregory Porter is truly a wonder to behold. Whenever I have seen him perform, he puts everything he is into his music. He connects with his audience just by doing what he knows how to do and enjoys every second of what he does. He is purely genuine and his music reflects that. The next time you get an opportunity to see him perform live, go. You will not be disappointed.

Feel free to suggest any other artists or bands to check out in the comments below!