Soul Butter Station vol. 3 (PJ Morton ft. JoJo/Say So)

A few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised when two of my favorite vocalists, PJ Morton and Leon Bridges tied, as winners, for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 61^st Grammy Awards. The first listen that I gave to PJ’s cover of the Bee Gees hit, “How Deep Is Your Love,” left me with absolute certainty that it would gain notice. Backed up by the majestic and breathtaking voice of Yebba, it magically floated out of the speakers and embraced me like the hug of loved one on a day that I need it most (Listen to the song by clicking here).

I came to know of PJ Morton during Kirk Franklin’s “The Rebel, the Soul, and the Saint tour”. Although he was the opening act for Ledisi and Kirk, I was quickly sold on his rich voice and his ability to work the keys like a church boy straddling the fence between the church and the world. Soon I learned that this musical genius was the son of Bishop Paul S. Morton (a gospel legend). Already a fan of Maroon 5, I was geeked to discover that he was their keyboardist and one of their BGVs. In addition, he had released a number of studio albums before releasing, the now famous, “Gumbo Unplugged.”

A few days after the Grammy’s, PJ released a new single with soul-singer JoJo. The new release, titled, “Say So” swept me off my seat just as quickly as did his rendition of “How Deep Is Your Love.” The lyrics of the song are a play on the struggle of love-struck couple long to know whether their counterpart reciprocates the same deep sentiment that they feel. Although, it shares a narrative that is kin to many love songs, the vocal arrangement takes you to a place where none dare to travel. The arrangement takes on a journey where experience angst, confusion, love, and chemistry like you’ve never experienced before. The struggle they express is both painful and comforting at the same time. As you listen, you want the struggle to both continue and end all at the same time. It’s similar to the feeling that you get when the loving embrace of your blankets is competing with the seducing smell of buttery pancakes that are calling your name from the kitchen. I have a name for songs like this. I call them “Soul Butter.”

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[Intro: PJ Morton, JoJo & Both]
Ooh, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm
Oh, oh-woah-oh

[Verse 1: PJ Morton & JoJo]
It’s getting hard for me to hold my own
See, nobody wants to be in love alone
So I’m trying my best not to overreact
But I need to know right now, no lies, just facts

[Chorus: PJ Morton & JoJo]
So if you love me, just say so
‘Cause I can’t play these games with you no more
So if you love me, just say so
I need to know from you right now before I go

[Verse 2: JoJo]
It’s just that I can feel I’m falling deep
And I don’t wanna fall unless you’re falling with me
I need to know if this is really real
And if you feel the same way that I feel

[Chorus: PJ Morton & JoJo, PJ Morton & JoJo]
So if you love me, just say so, just say so
‘Cause I can’t play these games with you no more (Oh)
So if you love me, just say so, then just say so
I need to know from you right now before I go

[Post-Chorus: PJ Morton & JoJo]
Just say, “La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, ooh
La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la”

[Bridge: PJ Morton & JoJo]
Baby, I hope that you understand
This is for my peace of mind
And I just don’t wanna waste any more time
And if this love isn’t what you want
Then baby let me know
I don’t wanna go but I’ll walk out that door, oh, woah

[Chorus: PJ Morton & JoJo, PJ Morton & JoJo]
So if you love me, just say so, can you just say so?
‘Cause I can’t play these games with you no more, oh-woah
If you love me, just say so, then just say so
I need to know from you right now before I go

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Stay tuned for more episodes of Soul Butter Station. Here, you can expect to encounter gospel & soulful sounds that have seeped into my soul like soft butter on freshly baked biscuits. Enjoy. 

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To schedule a coaching session with John Eli click here.