Since last summer James Morrison’s singles, “You Give Me Something” and “The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore,” have become touchstones of longing in the U.K.

“The actual songs aren’t soul as such, though they refer to it,” he says. “It’s only the emotion in the performance and the singing that makes it soulful.”

It’s also what makes it successful. Since last summer Morrison’s singles, “You Give Me Something” and “The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore,” have become touchstones of longing in the U.K. Currently, they may be the most earnest songs of need to hit big on that country’s often cheeky pop charts.

Morrison has had a more glancing impact here – so far. The 22-year-old’s debut CD, “Undiscovered,” came out this year and briefly grazed the U.S. charts. But word, and radio play, have been building. Tomorrow, Morrison headlines Irving Plaza.

The singer stands a good shot in the U.S. since his pop-friendly brand of soul sounds distinctly American – as do his vocals. “I don’t try to sound American,” he says, “but it’s just easier for me to sing when I round the words off. The way you speak English is very rounded, whereas in England the accent is quite stark.”

Morrison has a decidedly heavy accent when he speaks, reflecting his background in the Midlands. He grew up there with an alcoholic father and great deprivation. “I had to work a lot as a kid and never got to play with my mates because my mum needed help with rent and food,” he says. “We never had any money.”

But his parents did have a crackerjack collection of American soul CDs. Morrison became obsessed with Stevie Wonder. “I loved the way he sang, his phrasing, the emotion in his voice, and the way he could sail over some really strange melodies and chord changes,” he says.

Morrison’s smoother tones have been compared to Wonder’s, though he has just as many husky ones. “I wish I sounded like him,” he muses.

Morrison began singing at 13 and playing in bands by 16. He concocted a stage name using his middle name (Morrison) and his first. (His actual last name is the ungainly Catchpole.) He knew he’d get ribbed about the relationship to Jim Morrison, but says there isn’t one. He’s not much of a fan.

At 21, the young singer got signed and set about making a lush work. The result may be the most polished of its kind from the U.K. since peak Simply Red. It also fits in snugly with a rash of rethinks on American soul by young Brits, like Amy Winehouse and Paolo Nutini. “The world of American music is a lot bigger than the world of English music,” Morrison says. “Obviously, you’re going to take from it.”

Whatever you call the result is entirely up to you.

Written by J. Farber

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