Be Good Motéma****

Ex-American footballer Gregory Porter scored a touchdown last year with his debut, Water,winning hearts (and very nearly a Grammy) for his touchingly old-school, impeccably pitched vocals that are all the more remarkable for the sheer size of the body from which they're coming. Nat King Cole is often invoked, but to these ears Porter's sound is more Stevie Wonder meets Lionel Ritchie, with maybe a little Kurt Elling thrown in. The songs, mostly written by Porter himself, are big and soulful, tackling the grand themes of love and life without cliché. The best of them, such as Real Good Hands(an hilarious appeal for understanding addressed to the parents of his intended), border on the ironic, without ever actually dropping the mask of folksy respectability. There's some fine solos, as well, from saxophonist Tivon Pennicott. If he keeps this up, Porter will be huge – actually, scratch that, he already is. gregoryporter. com