New York, NY (Top40 Charts) PJ
Morton comes full circle with the announcement of his first-ever gospel album, Gospel According to PJ. Out August 28th on
Morton Inspiration/Tyscot Records, the project features Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, The Clark Sisters, Commissioned, Kirk Franklin, and over a dozen others collaborating on fresh interpretations and born-again arrangements of hits that
Morton has written for a slew of gospel stars throughout his career. With the exception of the 2020 BET Award-nominated "All In His Plan" (feat.
Le'Andria Johnson & Mary Mary), PJ
Morton self-produced the album in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown this spring and summer, crafting his own string arrangements in self-isolation, connecting with each artist via videoconference, and leading remote recording sessions from his New Orleans studio.
"I definitely missed that energy of being in there with them, but I'd like to think it all kind of happened the way that it was supposed to," PJ says. "I feel people need this music that inspires more than ever right now."
As the son of prominent pastor and recording artist Bishop Paul S. Morton, PJ
Morton grew up in the church. He attended upwards of three services a week, composed music on the organ as his dad preached to one of the largest congregations in New Orleans, and faced constant pressure from the community to follow in the same nonsecular footsteps. His family instead supported his multi Grammy-winning rise into R&B and soul stardom, and on Gospel According to PJ's three interludes, PJ discusses the journey back to his roots in a series of phone calls to his father.
"It goes deeper than just being a gospel record," PJ explains. "It's a narrative about a father and son, and my father being there for me even though I didn't take the path that people thought I should, and we still got here. We still got to this album and me being who I am and me making him proud."
Gospel According to PJ is PJ Morton's sixth self-released, self-produced LP in the past three years. Earlier in 2020, he won the Grammy for Best R&B Song, released The Piano Album, earned his first NAACP Image Award nominations, and launched The Culture, a weekly trivia show celebrating
Black art and entertainment that has welcomed Questlove,
Angela Rye, Omari Hardwick, Lalah Hathaway, Bakari Sellers and more.
Gospel According to PJ Track List
Dad's Interlude: WELCOME (feat. Bishop Paul S. Morton)
Don't Let Go (feat. Kim Burrell)
Repay You (feat. J Moss)
Gotta Have You (feat. Kirk Franklin, Jermaine Dolly & Lena Byrd Miles)
Over and Over (feat. Commissioned)
Dad's Interlude: ORIGIN (feat. Bishop Paul S. Morton)
So In Love (feat. Darrel 'MusiqCity'
Walls & Zacardi Cortez)
All In His Plan (feat.
Le'Andria Johnson & Mary Mary)
Here He Comes Again (feat. The Clark Sisters)
God Can/Let Go (feat. Smokie Norful)
Dad's Interlude: IN CLOSING (feat. Bishop Paul S. Morton)
Never Be The Same (feat.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Brian Courtney Wilson &
Travis Greene)
Do You Believe (feat. Yolanda Adams)