All Bad 
Artist: John Gillette 
Label: Megastar 

A friend once told me of a skit on In Living Color I must have missed seeing. In it God disavows any responsibility for and affiliation with all the award-winning singers and rappers who thank Him once they're on stage accepting their trophies but who don't acknowledge any intimacy with Him in that music for which they won their tchotchkes.

I couldn't blame you if you're reminded of that skit upon listening to John Gillette's All Bad. Though Gillette apparently has some way to go before reaching Kanye' West's level of ego and self-absorption, the tunes comprising the singer/rapper/dancer/choreographer's debut album neither exactly exude the kind of humility one might expect of someone who gives gratitude to the Almighty first in his liner notes' thank-you's. The profanity he uses puts this at a mild PG-13 level, but why cuss at all if what you're offering the public are simple tunes of party-starting, romance and at least implied fornication? Might that last question just have answered itself?

Production by the duo of Midi Mafia falls in line with the kind of streamlined revival of '80s electro-hip-hop and Florida booty bass hip-hop in the manner that has given Far East Movement and Dev recent hits. Its effectiveness suits the album's most creative moment, the creation of (or attempt at further popularizing) the slang word swagnificent, which provides the title for the opening intro' track. Otherwise, Gillette's badness sounds bound for mid-chart success at general market rhythmic and mix show radio, with maybe some pop top play, too. But hey, I would not have guessed FEM's "Like a G6" would have climbed as high on the charts it has, either.

Apart from his fledgling recording career, Gillette's steadiest day job is as a nationally renowned choreographer. As a dancer with a secondary gig singing, Gillette's not quite Fred Astaire but his work on a campaign for The Disney Channel is what sparked the Tollbooth editrices' interest in me opining on this project. 
 
And maybe the Lord wouldn't disavow that statement either.
 
-Jamie Lee Rake