*** 1/2 JOHNNY GILL “Johnny Gill” <i> Motown</i> : <i> Albums are rated from one to five stars.</i>

For the fading art of R&B; ballad singing, this album by one of the stars of New Edition is a badly needed boost. Kids today consider R&B; ballads old folks’ music because the leading practitioners are in their late 20s and older, singing to a largely thirtysomething audience.

The genre needs a dose of youth from good-looking, hip and prominent artists like Gill who are idolized by female teens. What makes Gill’s album especially valuable is that it’s one of the best R&B; ballad albums of the last few years.

Unlike most of the current crop of young, black, male artists, Gill can really sing. The impact of cuts like “My, My, My” and “Let’s Spend the Night” show that he clearly understands that a good R&B; ballad has the intensity of a smoldering ember and is an exercise in sensuality and romanticism.

Like most first-rate ballad singers, Gill is just an ordinary up-tempo singer, and he doesn’t do justice to the few quality hip-hop tunes here. Two elite teams--Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and L.A. Reid and Babyface--are responsible for the exceptional songs and production.