The rise of London soul phenom Christian Gregory continues. Currently immersed in lengthy sessions for his forthcoming debut LP, Gregory opted to burn some midnight oil and roll tape on a brand new rendition of "Personal," the sultry one-off tune that made its way online earlier this year. Okayplayer is very proud to premiere the new clip, which Gregory shot in his home flat on a whim after a long day of studio tracking.
Over a simmering 808 drum machine loop (the very same pattern used on the original recording), Gregory strums crystal-clean guitar and squeezes every last bit of beautiful out from his artful, rich voice. The brief clip has a sweet, just-got-home kind of feel; this must be what it's like to come home to Gregory's goodness at the end of a long day.
The "Personal" jam rolls on with an abundant Marvin Gaye flavor, with Gregory putting some subtle vibrato on its smoldering bridge before launching back into the pure falsetto that's been turning heads since his debut. The guitar-and-voice-only approach suits the 28-year-old to a T--he's already covered D'Angelo in a similar fashion, and sounds even better here with his own tune simmering through the airwaves. Gregory told Okayplayer that late 70s and early 80s soul--the era of drum machines and live instruments' initial minglings--has been influencing him more and more lately, and will have a real presence on his upcoming full-length record, which is due later this year on the singer's own Movement Records. But for the time being, the new clip is more than enough to tide us over, an ahead-of-schedule of taste of the hot summer nights to come. Watch "Personal" below.
