The crowd began to give the 40-year-old artist the same call-and-response treatment and encouragement that comes at any Black church service. As Morton got lost in the songs, leaning his head back and closing his eyes performing the track, the audience followed and for a second were taken into a utopia of surrender to the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of a two-year span of being locked in the house, losing loved ones to a virus in addition to the everyday tragedies Black people suffer from, the audience and Morton enjoyed a brief moment of harmonious serenity.
“I always felt like I had a cheat code,” Morton said. “I was initially writing songs for myself. For what I’m going through when I’m feeling down, let me write something to make me feel better. So, to be able to flip that around and use that same thing to make somebody else happy and inspire them? It’s very special. I feel honored. I feel like this is a responsibility to use that gift the right way.”
Fresh off his 2020 Gospel According to PJ Grammy-winning album, Morton is currently preparing to release his next album in 2022. He released the single “Please Don’t Walk Away” in September. The project will be under the soul genre after taking a brief detour to his gospel roots.
