Should-Be Singles? Johnny Gill – “Feels So Much Better”

An in-depth discussion about why some songs should have received airtime

THAT’S MY JAM: The record labels, as well as radio and video outlets, sometimes drop the ball on songs that would make the airwaves sound so much better. One such song is Johnny Gill’s "Feels So Much Better" from his self-titled 1990 album, which features background vocals by Karyn White and Pebbles. Guest contributor Su Zee agrees, and for many good reasons.
SU ZEE: From the minute you push play on Johnny Gill’s “Feels So Much Better,” you know you're in for something special. There’s a breezy summer evening feel to it; a relaxed keyboard instrumentation that I would describe as “new jack swing with curves” ― lyrically and melodically more sensitive than the songs that defined the urban music subgenre, but still new jack.

I can’t get over the music. Within the first few seconds, it seduces you with that powerful, rising violin riff that really gives the track an organic feel despite the presence of synthesizers.
Johnny Gill’s rich baritone vocals pour deliciously over the song’s instrumentation like warm butterscotch topping over vanilla ice cream. The harmonic interplay between Gill’s lead vocals and Karyn White and Pebbles’ background offerings is effortlessly seductive, evoking a feeling of excitable romantic comfort like the song’s title. The ladies’ cooing echoes both teases and satisfies, creating a compatible exchange with Gill’s lead vocals.

The exchange is beautiful! Given that the three had worked together on the new jack “Say A Prayer” from Pebbles’ Always album, this was a welcome addition to their catalog of collaborative work. Imagine if they had put both out as singles …
In releasing the song as a single, playing up the collaboration with Pebbles and Karyn White might have also worked well for Gill on the promotional front, with “Pebbs” and White holding their own as representatives of some of R&B’s leading ladies of the day.

This song is such a gem on an already flawless album. Given the success of the other singles released from Johnny Gill (1990), there’s no question this, too, would have shot up the charts and probably given Gill at least an R&B No. 1 and maybe even a pop top 10. It truly is “not entirely hip-hop-based” ’90s R&B at its best.
This song is warm and subtle, less provocative and less overt than Gill’s other single offerings from the album, “My, My, My,” “Wrap My Body Tight” and “Rub You the Right Way.” The lyrics harken back to true love songs where lyrics dealt with emotion rather than waterbed motion.

The Rating Scale:
► – Push Play
|| – Push Pause
■ – Push Stop

The Verdict:
That’s My Jam and Su Zee give “Feels So Much Better” an enthusiastic ►.

Should-Be Singles? Johnny Gill – “Feels So Much Better”