Scruffy British troubadour James Morrison has just arrived in Boston.

The 23-year-old singer of ‘Wonderful World’ brought his sandy locks and five o’clock shadow for a series of solo East Coast dates before joining John Mayer on the road this Friday, in Philadelphia. As for how the two soft skinned boys will get along on tour, Morrison can’t say just yet — they’ve never met.

“I did a gig in L.A. at the Roxy and he turned up, but I didn’t meet him,” Morrison tells PopEater. “I can’t wait to meet him. I love his new album.”

Despite Mayer’s well documented penchant for the Internet and blogs, Morrison said the two haven’t even had an online exchange. “No, he’s not emailed me. To be honest I’d rather talk to people face to face,” he says, though we suggest that might be tough seeing as Mayer is well more than six feet tall.

“I’ll get steps,” Morrison quips.

Though he’s been working his debut album, ‘Undiscovered,’ for over a year now, fans of Morrison shouldn’t expect to hear new songs on the current jaunt. Morrison says he plans to keep those firmly under wraps. “I’ve got some new stuff. I need to hone them,” he says. “I’m not going to play them if they’re not finished. I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”

Though it’s a wee bit early to start thinking about recording his second record, when the time does come, Morrison’s whirlwind trip from street corner busking to appearing for a worldly audience of millions at the Concert for Diana has come with a few helpful tips. “I met Rod Stewart,” the singer shares. “He said to me — he said, ‘Don’t let the business f*** you up. Keep yourself on focus.’ And that was kind of nice.”

Stewart wasn’t the only one taking a shine to the rusty voiced tunesmith. “I had a writing session with Linda Perry. She said to be careful of the writing process,” Morrison recounts, adding she suggested he be particularly weary of how he shares his publishing.

In addition, Morrison picked up a few life lessons of his own. “I’ve seen a lot of places and I’ve done a lot of stuff,” he marvels. “Everything’s been so crammed this year. I feel like I’ve done five years of work. I’m learning my craft.”

Written by Jolie Lash

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