You may know I have a weak for Johnny Gill. Single-handedly, he turned me onto New Jack Swing music in the late 80s and contributed to me getting into r&b music. The rest – as they say – is history. So, I’m always happy to hear when Johnny’s got a new single out.
Perfection According To Johnny Gill
Blog by Nora Tol
Quick Links
Johnny Gill Has New Game
Johnny Gill gets ready to release a new album, “Game Changer II”, on September 6th. It follows up his 2014 release, “Game Changer”. The latter was the start of a new phase for him, as he returned to music after a long break and became an independent artist. He’s one of the few clearly successful independent classic r&b artists.
The Soul Of A Woman
My last blog about him was sparked by the single release “Soul Of A Woman”, which after reached the number 1 spot in the Billboard Adult R&B charts, back in June. He also released a video for the song.
Ralph Tresvant Collab
Its high time to keep that momentum going with a new single.
“Perfect”, brings Johnny back to a familiar collaborator. Fellow New Edition member Ralph Tresvant features on the chorus. Ralph’s light, but smooth vocals add a bit of balance to Johnny’s big soul voice.
Perfect
When you start the song, you immediately get drawn in with the unexpected showstoppers intro. I’m immediately imagining seeing a band on stage, in my mind, as if I’m at a performance. The sound takes me back a little to his “Behind Closed Doors”, but don’t compare the two.
Then after, it breaks into a soulful blend of old meets new with slick production and a crispy clear beat. Among all the new music from classic r&b acts, it offers a nice change.
A Message To Women
Johnny’s vocals are a little rougher than usual on this track, but he’s consistent in his appreciation for women.
“The Soul Of A Woman” was already a praise “Perfect” is a clearly defined message to all of us (ladies!) who keep doubting ourselves. Some of its lyrics remind me a bit of “5000 Miles”, his 2014 Jaheim collaboration.
With this song, he joins a slew of classic r&b acts who keep the romance and respect in the genre.
Game Changer II
The new album will be released on his own label and features multiple interesting and exciting collaborations:
- Only One
- Fiesta (feat. Sheila E. & Carlos Santana)
- Soul of a Woman
- Perfect (feat. Ralph Tresvant)
- Bed on Fire
- Best Thing
- Favorite Girl
- Lose a Lover, Keep a Friend
- That’s My Baby
- Home (feat. Kevon Edmonds)
- So Hard
I hope it’s as strong as “Game Changer” part one. This looks very promising.
Listen To Johnny Gill
Keep up with Johnny Gill
Get Notified
Sign up for my weekly newsletter via MailChimp! It’s just one e-mail per week to notify you about new blog posts.