PJ Morton’s got soul — lots of it. The New Orleans native, who plays at Velvet Jones (423 State St.) on Friday, November 30, has inspired and excited legions of listeners with his warm, passionate, jubilant reinvention of classic soul and R&B sounds. Both a touring soloist and keyboardist for Maroon 5, the abundantly gifted singer/songwriter infuses the lessons of his gospel-shaped upbringing into whatever he plays. I spoke with Morton about his new Christmas album, the feel of soul music, style, and gumbo.
How does it feel to have your Christmas album out, and how did it come together?
It feels great to finally have it out. For me, this was a long time coming. I wanted to do a Christmas record for years and just never felt like it was the exact right timing. I took my time in doing it. I’m so happy that people have it now. The way I picked the songs was kind of a combination of some of my favorites, but also, some of my favorites didn’t necessarily make it — what was important for me was to be able to have a fresh take on Christmas records. They’re out every year, and they’ve been done a million times. It was really important for me to be able to do a fresh take, even if it was a favorite of mine. If I didn’t feel I could do something new to it, I opted not to do it.