Emanuel Harrold and Gregory Porter Team Up for Funk-Soul Fusion on ‘I Think’

Since his earliest days growing up as a pastor’s son in St Louis, Missouri, Emanuel Harrold has claimed a love for ‘the artistry of music.’ His new single, a near six-minute cascade of soulful strings and a classic funk beat, showcases this long-standing passion in uplifting style, with the unmistakable tones of Gregory Porter providing extra charisma to boot. 

'I Think’ begins with a lush, cinematic string arrangement that heightens the impact of the funk instrumentation that follows it. Harrold has opted for a well-worn funk/soul sound that nonetheless lends the track a warm familiarity, evoking the ‘symphonic soul’ of The Temptations and even the string-backed buzz of chart stalwarts Clean Bandit. 

His sound is bolstered by both backing vocalist Crystal ‘Crissy’ Ransom, which again draws on the established style of vintage soul, and most notably by Porter, who has become a firm favourite on the jazz/soul circuit, especially since his critically-acclaimed 2014 album ‘Liquid Spirit.’ He is an ideal collaborator for Harrold, conveying the track’s celebratory feel with his trademark mix of vocal control and soulfulness, and features as the latest in a long line of big-name artists Harrold has worked with, including Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Wynton Marsalis and Stevie Wonder. 

Lyrically speaking, ‘I Think’ utilises its simplicity to foreground a timeless idea: the declaration of love. Through repeated refrains that move through a degree of hesitancy (“I think I love you”) and into certainty (“Screaming out loud / I love you”), the track revels in its emotional sincerity, providing a thematic counterpart to the joyousness of the instrumentation. In a musical climate often saturated with songs about heartbreak and disillusionment, Harrold’s latest offering provides a feel-good celebration of romance that pays fitting tribute to its musical influences. 

With a new album, ‘We Da People,’ soon to be released on Gearbox Records, this one-time jazz drummer’s foray into solo recording looks to be paying dividends.    

Tom Spencer

Image: 'I Think' Official Single Cover