Johnny Gill is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. He is the final and sixth member of the famous R&B/hip-hop group New Edition, which was a member of the equally famous supergroup called LSG. In 1998, he went into rehab, expecting to be clean for the release of his first album since leaving rehab. This led to a short stint with his other band, Sky – which led to the group’s breakup.
The singer/songwriter turned: into a producer and keyboard player for many of Sky’s later albums, and his production work helped the group become a huge success. New Edition was known for its electronica-based sound, much like the music that would come out of drum studios in the eighties, but it was followed by songs which were more pop in tone. In fact, much of the album was centered around a single “Video Killed the Radio Star”, which seemed to indicate that Sky might go back to their electronica sound on the next album. This was a smart move, since they would go on to record four more albums which still sound very electronica – only a little less pop influenced.
The great thing about this album: is how it remains relevant in today’s music. Although it is a decade since the first of these albums came out, many of the songs are still as popular as they were then. It is interesting to look back at the success of this first album, as it is similar to the way that albums of modern band react to the new music industry, where bands try to make a fresh sound that is similar to the old sounds from their past records.
As was the case with the first album: No One’s Left Now, there isn’t one single from this album that sounds dated. All of them are excellent, and each one is worth the price of admission alone. They range in quality from mellow acoustic numbers, to faster, aggressive numbers. It’s a very eclectic selection, but it never goes past good.
For many fans of the band: it’s been said that the song, “Reelin’ in the Years” was a song written about the departure of singer, Nick Cave from the band, which helped them deal with the sudden loss of their mentor and friend. It’s a sad song, to be sure, but it does help to give new fans some background into what the new album is all about. It is also one of the better songs to come off of No One’s Left Now, and is a wonderful, gentle number.
There’s another track on the album that deserves a mention: “I Walk The Line”. This is a slower paced song, but still a good one, and nicely sums up the whole album. As the band says in the video for the song, they took their time writing this one, making it as personal as possible. It doesn’t have the bombast of some of the other songs on the first or second albums, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful.
No One’s Left Now has helped the world understand just how great Nick Cave is. It’s a great comeback, and it deserves to be enjoyed by people of all ages.