Gumbo (PJ Morton album)

Last updated
Gumbo
Album Cover for PJ Morton's CD Gumbo.jpg
Studio album by
PJ Morton
ReleasedApril 21, 2017 (2017-04-21)(US)
Recorded2016–2017
Studio
Genre
Length28:32
Label Morton Records
Producer
  • PJ Morton (also exec.)
  • Luke Witherspoon
PJ Morton chronology
New Orleans
(2013)		Gumbo
(2017)		 Gumbo Unplugged
(2018)
Singles from Gumbo
  1. "Claustrophobic"
    Released: March 8, 2017

Gumbo is the fourth and first self-released studio album by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. It was released on April 14, 2017, by Morton Records, as the follow-up to his third studio album New Orleans (2013). The record incorporates R&B styles with elements of older soul music; its lyrics discuss themes of romance and explores political and personal themes. The album is entirely produced by Morton himself and features guest appearances by Pell, BJ the Chicago Kid and R&B singer Anthony Hamilton's back-up group, The HamilTones. The album features a cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love".

Contents

Gumbo did not manage to enter on the US Billboard 200 chart but, upon its release, it received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Morton's style and praised him for his singing and songwriting.

Gumbo earned Morton two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. [1]

Background

In 2016, Morton moved to New Orleans and opened a record label called Morton Records which he envisioned as "the New Orleans Motown." [2] [3] Same year, Morton started working on Gumbo. About the album's title he said "I named it Gumbo because the actual dish is a bunch of things mixed in together to make [something] beautiful. I wanted to grow as a songwriter and talk about more things ... about where we are in the world today, the tension, how divided we are as a country. It kind of felt like I was dumping a bunch of subject matter together and I made it in New Orleans so that sounded like gumbo to me." [4] As a first step, on March 25, 2016, Morton released Bounce & Soul Vol. 1, a mixtape which includes re-imagined versions of his best songs in New Orleans' bounce style. [5] On July 1, 2016, Morton released the Sticking to My Guns EP, featuring the single of the same name. [6] The EP, besides including alternative versions of "First Began" and "Sticking to My Guns", it also contains "Say So", a song that was later cut from the final tracklist of the album. On November 15, 2016, Morton released "You Should Be Ashamed", a Stevie Wonder-esque socially conscious song that was later replaced by "Religion". [7] On March 13, 2017, Morton announced on his Instagram page April 14, 2017 as the release date of Gumbo. [8]

Singles

On April 21, 2015, Morton released an early version of "Claustrophobic", a song in which Morton expresses his frustrations with the music industry. [9] Initially, the song wasn't supposed to be an official single but, as Morton said, the song was "something I wanted to get off of my chest". [10] On March 8, 2017, Morton released a reworked version of "Claustrophobic" as the albums's first official single which, unlike the first version, contains new vocals, a completely different instrumentation and a rap by Pell. [11]

Promotional singles

"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" featuring BJ the Chicago Kid and The HamilTones was released as part of the instant-great tracks, along with the album's pre-order on iTunes.

Promotion

To promote the album further, Morton announced on June 23, 2017, that he would embark on The Gumbo World Tour, his first concert tour on a global scale. Promoted primarily by Morton Records, the tour will debut on June 30, 2017, in New Orleans. Twenty-nine additional dates were also announced across Australia and Europe, ending on September 16, 2017, in Paris, France. [12]

Critical reception

Gumbo was positively reviewed by a number of critics. Jonathan Landrum Jr. of The Washington Post said "Morton's fourth offering is a short listen, lasting less than 30 minutes. But in nine tracks, he takes advantage of every last second, speaking on various topics, from love to religion." [13] Producer Warryn Campbell, who has worked with Kanye West, R. Kelly and Alicia Keys, posted on his Instagram page that "Gumbo" is the "album of the decade." [14] [15] op music critic Keith Spera wrote in The Advocate daily newspaper that the new album, "expands Morton's songwriting range beyond love and relationships" to include issues of the world at large. [16] L. Michael Gipson of Soul Tracks wrote that the set is, "Perhaps Morton's most grown and fulfilling in years." [17] In short, Hip Hop producer, 9th Wonder, posted to his IG account that Gumbo is, "refreshing...this album is jamming." [14]

Accolades

Gumbo received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. The lead song on the album, "First Began", has also been nominated for Best R&B Song. [1]

YearCeremonyNominated workCategoryResult
2017 Grammy Awards [1] Gumbo Best R&B Album Nominated
First Began Best R&B Song Nominated

Commercial performance

Despite being critically acclaimed, the album has been seen as a commercial failure. Gumbo failed to enter on the US Billboard 200 chart. Still, it debuted number 10 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. - an astounding feat for an indie album without major radio airplay support. [18] It also peaked at number 5 and number 9 respectively on the Heatseekers-South Atlantic and Heatseekers-South Central charts. The set rose to No. 16 on the R&B Album sales chart, number 28 on the Independent Albums chart and number 30 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart. [14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."First Began"PJ MortonPJ Morton3:53
2."Claustrophobic" (featuring Pell)PJ Morton, PellPJ Morton3:48
3."Sticking to My Guns"PJ MortonPJ Morton3:41
4."Religion"PJ MortonPJ Morton3:22
5."Alright"PJ MortonPJ Morton1:55
6."Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid and The HamilTones)PJ MortonPJ Morton2:43
7."They Gon' Wanna Come"PJ MortonPJ Morton3:25
8."Go Thru Your Phone"PJ MortonPJ Morton, Luke Witherspoon2:28
9."How Deep Is Your Love" The Bee Gees PJ Morton3:17

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [19] 30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth, Wind & Fire</span> American musical group

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin, and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nivea (singer)</span> American R&B singer (born 1982)

Nivea B. Hamilton, better known by her mononym Nivea, is an American R&B singer whose recordings reached the Billboard charts during the early 2000s. Nivea is known most for her Grammy-nominated hit "Don't Mess with My Man" as well as "Laundromat" and "Okay" featuring YoungbloodZ & Lil' Jon. She has released three studio albums: Nivea (2001), Complicated (2005), Animalistic (2006), and an independently released extended play Nivea: Undercover (2011). In 2019, she released her album Mirrors, including the single "Circles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon 5</span> American pop rock band

Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, keyboardist PJ Morton and multi-instrumentalist and bassist Sam Farrar. Original members Levine, Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick first came together as Kara's Flowers in 1994, while they were in high school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chanté Moore</span> Musical artist

Chanté Torrane Moore is an American singer-songwriter, television personality, and author. Rising to fame in the early 1990s, Moore established herself as an R&B singer.

Ke'Tara Shavon "KeKe" Wyatt is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after her successful collaboration with fellow R&B singer Avant, In 2001 her rendition of "Nothing in This World" led to a nomination for the Best New R&B/Soul/Rap Artist award at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. After a number of charting collaborations and solo releases, in 2012 she starred as a cast member in TV One's R&B Divas: Atlanta, which featured the lives of five 1990s chart-topping R&B singers. She was featured in all 3 seasons of the show. She also performed with the group at events such as Essence Music Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ledisi</span> American singer/songwriter, author and actress (born 1972)

Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Batiste</span> American musician (born 1986)

Jonathan Michael Batiste is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists including Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Roy Hargrove, Juvenile, and Mavis Staples. Batiste, with his band, Stay Human, appeared nightly, as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazmine Sullivan</span> American singer

Jazmine Marie Sullivan is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, Time placed her on their list of the 100 Most Influential People.

Joseph Johnson, known by his stage name N.O. Joe, is an American musician, hip hop record producer and songwriter. N.O. Joe was a pioneer of the Southern Hip Hop sound during the 1990s. He operates a production company named Gumbo Funk, which is also a name given to his melange of musical styles

Crystal Johnson is an American singer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. She has performed in a variety of stage productions and has collaborated with a wide array of well-known artists including Anthony Hamilton, Dr. Dre, Heavy D, Mobb Deep, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Angie Stone, Usher and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Internet (band)</span> American R&B and soul band

The Internet is an American alternative R&B and soul band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of vocalist Syd, keyboardist Matt Martians, bassist Patrick Paige II, drummer Christopher Smith, and guitarist Steve Lacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PJ Morton</span> American musician (born 1981)

P.J. Morton is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been the keyboardist for the pop band Maroon 5. Morton originally joined the band as a touring member in 2010 and became an official member in 2012 after Jesse Carmichael went on indefinite hiatus.

<i>New Orleans</i> (album) 2013 studio album by PJ Morton

New Orleans is the major-label debut studio album by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. The album was released on May 14, 2013, under Young Money, Cash Money and Republic Records. The album is primarily produced by PJ Morton and features guest appearances by Lil Wayne, Tweet, Stevie Wonder, Busta Rhymes and Adam Levine.

Koryn Mattanah Hawthorne is an American contemporary Christian music and gospel singer. Hawthorne was a finalist in season 8 of NBC's singing competition The Voice, at the age of 17, as a member on Pharrell Williams's team. After placing fourth on the show, Hawthorne got signed to RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music dedicated to gospel music recordings. Her debut studio album, Unstoppable, was released on July 13, 2018, and earned her multiple awards nominations, including two Grammy nominations.

<i>Smoove Jones</i> 2016 studio album by Mya

Smoove Jones is the seventh studio album by American singer Mya. It was released exclusively through Apple Music and iTunes on February 14, 2016 by Planet 9, Harrison's label, while physical copies were made available for purchase through the singer's official website. The project commemorates the release of the singer's debut single "It's All About Me" and eighteenth anniversary in the entertainment industry. Musically, Smoove Jones incorporated R&B/soul/hip-hop with old school elements from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Dubbed a concept album, the project exhibited Harrison portraying seductive radio hostess Smoove Jones, an after hours radio show she created specifically for her "grown and sexy" fans. Critically, Smoove Jones received favorable reception from music critics. It debuted at number thirty on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, marking her highest entry since 2003's Moodring. Subsequently, Smoove Jones received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, which were held on February 12, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Mai</span> British R&B singer (born 1994)

Ella Mai Howell is an English R&B singer-songwriter. Her musical career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2014, during which time she auditioned as part of a trio on the 11th season of The X Factor. In 2015, she released her debut four-track solo extended play (EP), Troubled in October of that year. The EP and her performances on social media were discovered by American record producer DJ Mustard, who signed Mai to his record label 10 Summers Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.

<i>Gumbo Unplugged</i> 2018 live album by PJ Morton

Gumbo Unplugged is the third live album and fifth overall by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Morton Records, as the follow-up to his fourth studio album Gumbo (2017). The album is entirely live recorded and features guest appearances by Keyon Harrold, BJ the Chicago Kid, Lecrae, and R&B singer Anthony Hamilton's back-up group, The HamilTones, YEBBA. String arrangements by Matt Jones with the participation of violinist Scott Tixier

Abigail Elizabeth Smith, known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her backing vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's SNL performance of the song "Same Drugs" in 2016 and releasing her debut single "Evergreen" in 2017. She has collaborated with a number of artists, including PJ Morton, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, A$AP Rocky, and Drake.

<i>Paul</i> (PJ Morton album) 2019 studio album by PJ Morton

Paul is the sixth and third self-released studio album by American singer-songwriter PJ Morton. It was released on August 9, 2019, by Morton Records and Empire Records. Paul incorporates R&B styles with elements of soul music. The album is entirely produced by Morton himself and features guest appearances by Tobe Nwigwe, Jazmine Sullivan, Rapsody, JoJo and Angela Rye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say So (PJ Morton and JoJo song)</span> 2019 R&B Single by PJ Morton and JoJo

"Say So" is a duet recorded by American R&B singer-songwriter PJ Morton and features additional vocals by American pop/R&B singer JoJo. The track was solely written and produced by PJ Morton. It was released on February 14, 2019, through Morton's very own label Morton Records/Empire as the lead single from Morton's sixth studio album Paul (2019). The acoustic version of the song was featured on Morton's The Piano Album (2020).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "60th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "PJ Morton of Maroon 5 moves home to New Orleans, opens record label". Nola.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "PJ Morton of Maroon 5 moves home to New Orleans, opens record label". Nola.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "PJ Morton talks new album, Maroon 5 and more". Amny.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "New Music: PJ Morton - Bounce & Soul Volume 1 (Mixtape)". Youknowigotsoul.com. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "New Music: PJ Morton - Sticking to my Guns". Youknowigotsoul.com. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "PJ Morton Addresses The Deplorables On 'You Should Be Ashamed'". Soulbounce.com. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Instagram post by PJ Morton". Instagram. March 13, 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "PJ Morton Is Feeling A Bit 'Claustrophobic' - SoulBounce - SoulBounce". Soulbounce.com. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "PJ Morton - Claustrophobic". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Interview: PJ Morton Is Sending A Message To All Of The Dreamers With "Claustrophobic" - Saint Heron". Saintheron.com. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Instagram post by PJ Morton • Jun 23, 2017 at 5:20pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  13. ↑ Landrum, Jonathan Jr. (May 4, 2017). "Review: Maroon 5's PJ Morton thrives on new solo album". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 "PJ Morton Debuts on Six Billboard Charts with 'Gumbo' Album". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Publicación de Instagram de Warryn Campbell". Instagram. May 8, 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  16. ↑ Keith Spera. "Maroon 5's PJ Morton ready to serve up his new 'Gumbo' CD and return to the New Orleans Jazz Fest". Theadvocate.com. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "P J Morton - Gumbo (2017) (Review)". Soultracks.com. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "PJ Morton". Billboard. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "PJ Morton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.