*** JOHNNY GILL, “Let’s Get the Mood Right,” Motown
It’s good to see Gill get a chance to stretch out and express himself. It’s an opportunity he mostly missed on New Edition’s current reunion album, a project in which none of that group’s individual strengths was fully pushed to the forefront.
On this solo project, Gill is in full effect on several rugged R&B; torch jams. He really gets ample room to flex on “Take Me (I’m Yours),” a verging-on-begging ballad that owes a debt to ‘70s-era Teddy Pendergrass. Gill can come on rough or smooth, but seductive mood-enhancers such as “It’s Your Body” and “Touch” are always aptly handled.
Like Babyface and R. Kelly--who both contributed songs to this album--Gill has a musical bent that leans toward sensuous love songs. Like them, he also has the emotional depth and vocalagility to be considered a leader in his field.
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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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