As he explained in an interview with OffBeat Magazine, creating music has always been a major part of his family gatherings on Christmas, where they would sing all night. Another stand out track is Morton’s original song written for his daughter, “Peyton’s Lullaby (Right Away),” which gives us an insight on what the holiday season truly means to PJ.

It’s as though you were at family gathering or a jam session where everyone comes together to fellowship and simply connect through the music. The album opens with a reggae interpretation of “Winter Wonderland,” with improvisatory background vocals and short piano riffs that showcase PJ’s ability to make his music sound spontaneous. This is certainly not the case with PJ Morton! His debut holiday album is filled with iconic Christmas songs we all know and love such as “Winter Wonderland,” “The Christmas song,” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Morton’s take on these classics is so uniquely his own that he can completely redefine a song just by strategically adding some atypical grooves and minor re-harmonizations, but he always makes sure it feels fresh. So often when artists release a Christmas album it can feel very gimmicky due to recycled arrangements of classics that we have heard a thousand times or lackluster original songs with clichéd lyrics. Our specially curated Black Grooves Christmas Spotify playlist features our favorite songs from these artists and more, providing the perfect soundtrack as you get together with friends and family to celebrate the holidays.

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without good music to really get you in the spirit! We’re featuring brief reviews of our favorite new holiday releases from PJ Morton, John Legend, Cece Winans, Aloe Blacc, Motown Gospel, and After 7.

Best holiday albums