Award/Grant News

Gregory Porter's "Be Good" Is Best Jazz Vocal Album In iTunes' Best Of 2012

SOURCE:

GOMEDIA PR,

Published: 2012-12-14

Grammy nominated vocalist Gregory Porter’s album Be Good has been named the Best Jazz Vocal Album in iTunes’ Best of 2012. The award is the latest in the spate of accolades and acclaim that Porter has earned since the February release of Be Good, his second release for Harlem-based Motema Music.

Porter made history when iTunes selected “Real Good Hands” as its first song by a jazz artist to be featured as the Single of The Week, which propelled the album up the iTunes US Jazz Album chart where it debuted at #1.

The selection of Be Good as the Best Jazz Vocal Album in iTunes’ Best of 2012 follows directly on the heels of Porter’s Grammy nomination in the “Best Traditional R&B Performance” category for the track “Real Good Hands.” The Grammy nominations were announced just last week, during which time Be Good’s title track was also included among NPR Music’s 100 Favorite Songs of 2012. As the year draws to a close, the album is sure to appear on many other “Best Of” lists.

In addition to its #1 iTunes Jazz Album chart debut, Be Good debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Album Chart in Norway, and climbed to #6 on the Billboard Jazz Album Chart. Starbucks Digital Network featured a track from Be Good, “On My Way to Harlem,” as its Pick of The Week and five tracks from the album were featured on the very popular Band of the Day app.

Media outlets across the globe have lauded Porter and Be Good. The Huffington Post raved, “His immense talent cannot be ignored.” “Be Good signals the arrival of a great jazz artist with long-range staying power,” concluded Jazz Times.

Porter’s star burns exceptionally bright in the UK, where he graced the cover of Jazz Wise and earned critical kudos from the likes of Echoes magazine, which stated “Rarely does musical talent as rich as Gregory Porter come along….Mr. Gregory Porter is the real deal.” Be Good was Hi Fi News’ Album Choice, with a review that called the album ‘Brilliant and compelling.” During his extensive UK and European tours this past year, which regularly sold out, he was featured on numerous radio and television shows.

The success of Be Good comes as little surprise, following closely upon the success of his 2010 debut, Water. That album earned Porter a ‘Best Jazz Vocal’ Grammy nomination (a rare feat for a debut recording), soared to #1 on both iTunes and Amazon in the UK, and landed on an international array of year-end ‘Best Of’ lists for 2010 in several genres.

2013 will find Porter continuing his extensive touring schedule with performances scheduled in Canada, Japan, Indonesia and Brazil and at many prominent jazz festivals throughout the world, including the Newport, Playboy, Monterey, San Francisco, Cape Town and Johannesburg Jazz Festivals.

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