Bass legend George Porter Jr. is known among younger generations as a prolific performing artist. Though his recorded output has been sporadic over the years, the loss of live gigs during this pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity in his long career. Along with his longtime Runnin’ Pardners band, drummer Terrence Houston, keyboardist Michael Lemmler and guitarist Chris Adkins, Porter recently released a tour-de-force album, Crying For Hope, which simultaneously reaches back into funk history while establishing a new standard for modern-day recording techniques. Each individual instrument on each tune, all of which are credited to the band, was recorded in isolation at each musician’s home studio. Though many albums feature parts recorded separately in isolation booths to insure an excellent mix, I’m not sure I have ever heard of a release by a major artist recorded in this fashion. To the great credit of Porter and crew, the album soars.