Johnny Gill
It's telling when an artist releases two self-titled recordings a mere seven years apart. Gill has a great voice, but for the most part he remains in search of good material and effective production. This eponymous effort for Motown (the first was for Atlantic in '83) is his best effort. Gill was simply the finest voice to pass through the New Edition aggregation. His impassioned baritone gives lust a rare urgency and repentance an unusual poignancy (if not outright credibility). The teams of L.A. Reid and Babyface or Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced the best tracks on this record, and "Rub You the Right Way," is a minor classic. Gill has yet to match this disc, but in the right company, he will.--Martin Johnson