Gregory Porter fans, the forever-capped baritone singer takes a crack at a straight R&B song called, “Holding On.” The song departure for Porter is given an assist from one of urban music’s leading men, Kem.

The song is from Gregory Porter’s latest album, “Take Me To The Alley,” which will be released May 6^th and is available for pre-order now. The single was originally co-written and sung by the soulful jazz singer for Disclosure’s album, “Caracal,” minus Kem’s vocals.

Porter said in a Blue Note Records piece, “I decided to do the song the way I would have recorded it on my record. He went on to say, “It’s a way of saying, a song, is a song, is a song. The lyrics and the intention of the song come through no matter what bells and whistles are going on.”

“Holding On,” has a nice mid/uptempo pace and Gregory’s vocals have their usual warmth and charm. Kem mainly adds his vocal to the songs chorus and riffs at the songs end. It seems that Kem may have been added to soften the cell to die-hard R&B lovers who don’t want to try and digest Jazz (a complicated art form). The version without Kem is also on the album.

Gregory Porter, a former football player at San Diego State University, won a Grammy in 2013 for his album “Liquid Spirit” also on Blue Note Records. He received his first big break singing on Hubert Laws tribute album to the late Nat “King” Cole.