::ALBUM REVIEW::

Just when you thought it was virtually impossible for renowned pastor Bishop Paul S. Morton to release a holiday album, the unexpected happens. Not because he’s one of the country’s popular preachers (Jakes has done it), but because in all of his twenty-plus years of recording gospel music he hasn’t touched the idea. But the wait is official over: Paul Morton’s Christmas is a holiday treat that places the silky soul singer on a sweetly-produced nine-track studio set. Of course, the adventure is a bit too short but far from being a hit-and-miss. With veteran producer Sanchez G. Harley at the helm of the project and an incredible staff of musicians aboard (Derrick Lee, Ay’ron Lewis, Terry Baker, Charles “Al” Willis), the grandeur of the seasoned magic tucked into the warm fuzzy renditions on Paul Morton’s Christmas places the singer in comfortable territory. Oddly for a holiday project, it probably is his most comfortable, homogenized solo entry yet.

A pleasant arrangement of “Away in a Manger,” with sleigh bells and a contemporary jazz pulse, opens up the album and gives Morton ample room to stretch his voice over the notes. A playful version of “Go Tell It On The Mountain” from Derrick Lee and Jerry Q. Parries remains one of the album’s biggest inspirations and cruises a light bluesy rhythm bordered with jingly synths. There’s lots of covers to journey through including the soul lounge warmth of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and an invigorating remake of “Mary Did You Know.” The latter punctuates a bit of rare originality with its David May’s Latin acoustic guitar backdrop as if the song was crafted just for Santana. Above all, Morton brings new life to the narrative as he sings the song to the mother of Jesus himself; giving the song an unusually profound duet with San Franklin-Stancil as she plays the role of Mary. Berry Gordy’s “Give Love on Christmas Day,” becoming a favorite on holiday collections these days, is warmly received and "This Christmas” is sparred by Lloyd Barry’s gleaming strings and Morton’s soulful pleas. And as we already know, Morton usually works well with ad-libs and he does a good deal of justice to “This Christmas” towards the closing as he inserts the invitation to “get the turkey...and tell the kids to come over.”

Unfortunately, only one original cut makes the list. On “Christmas In Vain,” Morton walks through a set of lyrics that is far sermonic than any of the other contributions. It’s not so bad since Morton is a great storyteller and doesn’t toss the fire-and-brimstone approach into the flow. It’s a pleasant selection that uses appropriate gospel harmonies and a warm musical background to coincide with the easy-flowing nature of the disc. Not too preachy and not too theatric; it’s just right.

While classic holiday tunes are abundant on most modern releases, it’s often a good thing to hear a few originals every now and then. If you’re looking for that here, you are bound to come short. Only one original can be found, but Morton breaths new life into the holiday classics and does a fine job in putting Morton in a cozy environment that will lead listeners to the egg-nog around the Christmas tree. Even with the bishop singing a few secular tunes may be puzzling to some, but after hearing the offerings yourself and being serenaded by the relaxing, calm nature of the album - attached to Morton’s gritty R&B-trained vocals - Paul Morton’s Christmas is bound to become a nostalgic offering to turn towards for holidays to come.