Since 2012, PJ Morton has served as one of the keyboardists for pop/rock band Maroon 5. However, he also has a successful solo discography that includes seven solo albums, four live albums, two EP’S, and one mixtape. Morton is currently working hard on his eighth solo album and recently released the first single, “Please Don’t Walk Away.”
A beautiful ballad that harkens back to the sound of seventies soul, opens with beautiful piano sounds before Morton starts to croon. One of Morton’s vocal strengths is that he never over sings his material, choosing instead to stay in his natural register while highlighting his musicianship skills.
“Please Don’t Walk Away” is a song about a man begging his love not to leave, and Morton easily sells the song with honest lyrics such as:
“It’s never gone this far
It’s never been this bad
But I won’t let it erase the memories
Of good times; we’ve had”.
The song’s strength is in Morton’s vocals and something that we can all relate to when things go south in a relationship. I can easily see this song featured in a romantic comedy or dramedy set to a scene where our hero reflects on what he did wrong and attempts to get his lady back. “Please Don’t Walk Away” is Morton at his best and may garner the singer another Grammy award.
Final Grade: A
“Please Don’t Walk Away” is available on all streaming platforms.
There are some albums you revisit because of nostalgia, and then there are albums you return to because they remind you just how high the standard used to be. Anita Baker’s Rapture falls into that second category. Released in 1986, the album did more than make Baker a star. It helped define what sophisticated, grown R&B could sound like without losing any soul, sensuality, or personality.
Gwen Stefani had already established herself as a significant force with No Doubt when she released her debut solo album, *Love. Angel. Music. Baby* in 2004. This week, while my iPod was on shuffle, one of my favorite songs from that project, “The Real Thing,” came on. Although the original version has an upbeat new-wave feel, the Slow Jam Mix takes it to another level and is the perfect choice for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday.
Unless you’re a music purist, mentioning Randy Jackson from the famous family is likely to elicit a joke. However, any serious Jackson fan knows that Randy had musical achievements long before the punchlines. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had already co-written “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “Lovely One” with Michael Jackson.