Make no mistake about it, PJ Morton is one of the most prolific artists of the 21st Century. He’s more than Paul Sylvester Morton, Jr., son of a preacher man. He’s a gifted singer, songwriter and musician. Morton’s septet (comprised of five musicians including Morton and two singers) was more than enough instrumentation for the crowd who sang along with nearly every song! On the Dallas tour stop to promote his newly-released “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning” album, Morton gave the crowd more than music. Saturday night at The Majestic Theater was a safe space for those balancing the reality of late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings. While Halloween partygoers lined a nearby sidewalk, PJ Morton took us to church singing about life, love and the Lord. This album and live experience is existential ecuminism as listeners encounter God and experience Him in Morton’s music.

 “I knew that I didn’t have to sacrifice who I was or what I believed in with my faith to write about these things.“
-PJ Morton

Morton has a deep connection to Dallas and recounted his days with Erykah Badu and shouted out friends like Gino Igleheart, Badu’s longtime drummer. In a brief moment of remembrance, Morton expressed how he like so many others miss “his brothers,” the late Shaun Martin and Daniel Jones. Morton bemoaned the closing of the iconic Rudy’s chicken and said that when he drove their and discovered it was closed it “hurt my heart.” Dallas showed love and from the stage and greeting fans outside, Morton showed it to those who came from near and far to experience his love show. 

By now, you know the songs Morton is known for and though the concert tour features music from his newest album, lovers of Morton’s catalog were treated to the best from his bag of hits. “Claustrophobic,” “Good Morning,” “First Began,” “Say So,” “Go Thru Your Phone,” “Please Don’t Walk Away” and other favorites kept the crowd engaged.

Watch the Visuals from “Saturday Night/Sunday Morning”

“Do you mind if we go to Sunday morning for a second?”

After a heartfelt moment, PJ performed an unplugged, solo version of the song that put him on the map, “Let Go.” Over the last few years, Morton has shown his depth as a writer, using his pen to speak the thoughts of believers like him. Before performing “Mercy,” Morton told the crowd, “I need you to agree with me a specific way” signifying the vocalized, “mmm hmm” repeated with each line of the verse. Morton also debuted “Bless His Name” a refrain from the new album which flows like a praise and worship song, and “Better,” which gave the church kids a little something to bop to.  

While discussing music from the new album, Morton recounted how he wrote one of the songs. “I wanna show some love to one of my heroes who’s passed along…” Morton wrote the song, thinking about the late R&B and neo-soul pioneer and virtuoso, D’Angelo. Jazmin Crumley joined Morton to sing, “Sell My Soul” another song proclaiming artistic liberation and integrity, a hallmark of Morton’s career choices. 

Growing up in church, being a preacher’s kid my whole life, you know, gospel music was so close to my heart and has always been so close to my heart. But you know, as I grew, I started to weigh all of these things. As I was taught then, they were telling me that this was somehow wrong because it was secular. It was hard for me to reconcile as a young creative because I saw my parents, who were pastors, happily in love. They’ve been married 50 years this year and so they were telling me that the love wasn’t wrong, but if I wrote a love song about their love, then it was somehow wrong. And that just didn’t add up to me. It was just art reflecting life for me and so I realized there was some humanity in there just muddying up those waters. I knew that I didn’t have to sacrifice who I was or what I believed in with my faith to write about these things. This (Saturday Night/Sunday Morning) was two parts of me. And so, obviously I’ve always done them separately.

-PJ Morton

Morton is multi-dimensional and knows how to put on a party! The music break on “Sticking to My Guns” had the Majestic rocking and if you ever wondered just how much he takes after his father, you had to be there for the closer! His father is a prolific preacher and singer in his own right. Known for his key shifting sermon closes. As PJ Morton brought his Dallas show to a close with “Alright,” it got good and churchy in the Majestic! 

The PJ Morton experience is a dance of the dichotomous. It’s seamlessly praise and a party at the intersection of the club and Church. This is Morton’s story and unlike other artists of his time and before him, he has truly stuck to his guns. Whether on his own as a solo artist or alongside his bandmates in Maroon 5, PJ Morton is simply who he is, which wasn’t always easy. Morton’s addition to Maroon 5 was reminiscent to Billy Preston’s joining The Beatles. Maroon 5 had already made their mark musically, but Morton brought musicality and influences that created a new sound and connection to new fans for the group. Writers compare his genre blending to Aretha Franklin as he remains faithful to his roots while serving a secular audience. Morton doesn’t shy away from his influences like Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, but this season is all about him. And as he blazes his trail, he’s paving a way for other creatives emerging from the church who don’t care to shed their connection to Sunday morning for Saturday night. Want to learn more about his journey to musical freedom and spiritual awakening? Read about it in “Saturday Night Sunday Morning,” the book, released in 2024.

The North American leg of the tour continues through early December. If there’s a tour stop near you, treat yourself to the PJ Morton experience!