New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, PJ
Morton announces the August 9th release of new studio album PAUL. Out via his own New Orleans-grown
Morton Records, PAUL follows his 2017, modern soul manifesto Gumbo and last year's Grammy-winning Gumbo Unplugged with what he declares "the most honest expression of myself and my art that I've ever made."
Watch the music video for new single "
Ready": https://youtu.be/VTiVcASo580
And read more at The FADER: https://bit.ly/2YqeiQE
While "
Ready" finds
Morton bearing retro workout garb and keytars, listing farcical ambitions and physical regimen on the path to cross-cultural domination, the opening sentiment is genuine - "many people thought I was done." With Gumbo originally set to be his final record,
Morton planned to retire his solo career: "I was struggling to figure out who I wanted to be and where I could fit in as a solo artist, and it honestly left me feeling pretty defeated. Coming back to New Orleans inspired a lot of new growth and perspective, though, and it helped me realize that the best thing I could be was myself."
The 10 songs of PAUL capture the dichotomy between the joyous light of PJ's music and the darkness and struggle of our current era. Alongside the carefree spontaneity of "Ready," PJ (born Paul
Morton Jr.) delivers songs like "MAGA?," asking when, if ever, was
America truly great with the help of CNN commentator
Angela Rye. He tributes
Nipsey Hussle in "Buy Back The Block," an anthem for protecting and investing in one's neighborhood. He sings out against suicide on the a cappella "Don't Let Go," celebrates childhood with the voices of his children on "Kid Again," and duets with JoJo, Tobe Nwigwe, Rapsody, and Jazmine Sullivan.
Morton acknowledges, "Everybody calls me PJ, but I came into this world as Paul. That struck me as the perfect title for this album because Paul is the purest form of who I am." With that includes the pop songwriting and production prowess that have landed him performances on the Super Bowl Half Time,
Tonight Show, and TNT Inside the NBA stages, 10 Grammy nominations, a full-time job playing keys in Maroon 5, and work with Solange, Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, and others. But it can't come without his fearless confrontation against injustice and oppression, as seen during appearances on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, CNN, NPR's Tiny Desk and beyond.
Morton recorded PAUL at his New Orleans studio earlier this year, in between a sold-out tour, shows at the Kennedy Center, New York City's The Shed, ESSENCE Festival, and more. He'll be on the road for the rest of 2019, playing Outside Lands the weekend of PAUL's release and announcing additional dates soon.
PAUL Track List
Ready
Practicing feat. Tobe Nwigwe
Kid Again
Yearning For Your Love
Buy Back The Block
Built For Love feat. Jazmine Sullivan
Don't Let Go
Don't Break My
Heart feat. Rapsody
Say So feat. JoJo
MAGA? feat.
Angela Rye
PJ
Morton Tour Dates
7/24 - Detroit, MI -
Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre
8/3 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
8/4 - Newport, RI - Newport Jazz Festival
8/6 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
8/8 - Richmond, VA - Hippodrome Theater
8/10 - Reno, NV - Grand Theater at the Grand
Sierra Resort
8/11 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
Music & Arts Festival
9/12 - Lynchburg, VA - Warehouse Live Concert Series
10/6 - Stockholm, SE - Nalen
10/9 - Paris, FR - BIZZ'ART
10/10 - Köln, DE - Reineke Fuchs
10/11 - Berlin, DE - Yaam
10/13 - Manchester, UK - Band on the Wall
10/14 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
10/26 - Greensboro, NC - White Oak Event Space
