Paul Morton’s Christmas (Tehillah Music Group/Light Records 2008)

Bishop Paul S. Morton
Paul Morton’s Christmas
Tehillah Music Group/Light Records 2008
www.lightrecords.com

Had he never received the calling to preach, Bishop Paul S. Morton could have been a soul balladeer.

At least that’s what I hear on Paul Morton’s Christmas, released in time for the 2008 Yuletide Season. On this album, Bishop Morton of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans (and now Atlanta) performs a sampling of Christmas songs old and new in a vocal style that falls somewhere between his usual tear-stained pleading baritone and the comfort blanket of late 1940s crooner Charles Brown. The result is a relaxed RnB feel, which fits well with the Chrismas songs selected for the CD.

Assisting Morton is top producer Sanchez Harley, with co-producers Pastor Jerry Q. Parries (longtime gospel singer of note) and keyboardist Ay’Ron Lewis. The talented Nathan and Suzanne Young, along with San Franklin-Stancil, brighten every song on which they contribute airtight background harmony. Even Nakitta Clegg-Foxx (“God Blocked It”) lends her powerful vocals to the background mix.

The album’s highpoint is Morton’s cover of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” easily one of the most popular Christmas songs since “Glory, Glory to the New Born King.” Morton comes as close as any to the bright, cheery vibe of Hathaway’s original.

In terms of relevant lyrics, “Christmas in Vain,” written by Parries, reminds the listener that Christmas is about Christ’s birth, not “diamond rings” and “shopping malls” (and if that hasn’t hit home yet, it certainly will this year, thanks to the troubled economy).

Paul Morton’s Christmas also includes the popular “Mary Did You Know,” a kitchen-table conversation with Mary about the Nativity that has found its way into the repertories of country, gospel, pop and classical stars alike. The album’s final touch is a jazzy yet soulful version of Robert Macgimsey’s neo-spiritual “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.” The song is given a mid-tempo reading with swinging sax accompaniment, quite different from the stark solemnity with which it is usually rendered. In fact, many of the songs on Paul Morton’s Christmas have a bounce to them, whether written that way or not.

My guess – and that’s all it is – is that by not including “Bishop” in the album title, Tehillah/Light wants to encourage non-believers to pick up the CD. And if they do, I think they’ll be pleased with what they hear…and then will be surprised to learn that the gentleman crooning “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” happens to be a very important and influential religious leader.

Three of Four Stars