Connect The Dots is the wholesome debut album from Chicago singer Johnny P. This album gave him his wholesome image in the world of R&B. The album is a blend of funk, teen pop love ballads, and contemporary R&B/soul uptempo dance tunes. Of course this album is going to filled with a reasonable amount of love songs. If you enjoy New Edition, Tevin Campbell, Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Patsy Cline, Jackie Wilson, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, or Bobby Brown, you will definitely this album!
Johnny P sings in a tune reminiscent of Michael Jackson sings. You can obviously tell where his inspiration to be a singer came from. His voice is truly reminiscent of Michael Jackson.
You may remember Johnny P as the man who sung the hooks for Do Or Die’s songs or Scarface’s Smile. This man has got one of the best voices to come out of Chicago next to R. Kelly, Chaka Khan, and Miki Howard. Johnny P (John Pigram) was one of Chicago’s most underrated singers who did not get the recognition or shine truly deserved. Sadly he never received any mainstream recognition. This R&B album suffered from a lack of promotion.
Love Is Just Around The Corner serves as the opening for the album. Love Is Just Around The Corner is surprisingly upbeat instead of mid tempo or downtempo as one would think otherwise. The song uses a touch of funk, soul, and pop. Nevertheless Love Is Just Around The Corner is a great song.
Love is just around the corner. Practically next door. Love just moved into his neighborhood. Who could ask for anything more? He plans on buying her a sweatshirt to show everyone love is just around the corner. She belongs to Johnny. He would like to be the one to get close to her heart. Love is in the places you would least expect or expected to find.
Connect The Dots is a sweet love ballad with a pop-oriented sound. Connect the dots and you will see what a picture of love is. A couple who loves each other. Connect The Dots was issued on 45 as a buzz single as well by Columbia.
Traffic Jam blends funk into New Jack Swing giving it a funky sound. The beats are funky as well. The funky beats follow the uptempo pace. There’s a traffic jam on the dance floor. Traffic Jam serves as the uptempo dance tune.
Street Fighter is the rock jam of this album. The sounds of funk and rock meet each other on the song Street Fighter. You can tell by just listening to the synths, bass, and key notes. Street Fighter is a song about a tough street fighter named Johnny P and how he can to be that way.
Johnny P was born in the heart of the city. Concrete and bricks. Something about his mama’s kisses and something about his daddy’s fists is what made Johnny P the tough street fighter he is today. He won’t back away from a fight.
These lyrics represent the motivational part of the song.: “When you learned you way around, you learn to get up/When you’re knocked down, get up off the ground and keep the next round/Street fighter” Whenever you get knocked down by tough times, you pick yourself up and keep on pushing through life. That is what those lyrics mean.
He knows how to jump over roof tops. He knows how to deal with the people on the street. Johnny can’t change who he is.
Please Say You Want Me is a cover of The Schoolboys – Please Say You Want Me. However this version is more slow tempo than the original doo-wop version. Johnny P sounds very similar to an early 80s Michael Jackson on Please Say You Want Me.
Johnny tells a girl to please say, “You want me to be your guy.” He has always wanted her to be his love. When there’s stars up in the sky, then she will realize that she should belong to Johnny.
He has cried so much for her. Johnny hopes she does decide to be his love and to realize that they belong together. He tells her “Please say you want me. Please say you want me to be your love.” “Please say that you love me. Please be mine. Please say that you care for me. Then I’ll stop this crying over you.”
Unsurprisingly True Love is a slow jam. He sounds similar to Michael Jackson on True Love. True Love is a song you would expect to hear from Michael Jackson. The song is a representation of what true love is.
Hide And Seek is another upbeat uptempo dance tune which is also a love song. Johnny plans to find this woman. He shows no signs of stopping. She is playing hard to get. He doesn’t want to play the hide and seek game with her.
I’ve Got Lorraine is a tale about young teenage love. It’s another teen pop ballad.
People tell them they are too young to be in love. They would like to see them break up but they’ve just begun dating. Their love is not a game. Johnny has not been the same since he got Lorraine. Lorraine is the girl Johnny is dating.
Lorraine’s so dependable. She makes some time to love her man. Why can’t they make people understand that their love is here to stay? They will find a way. Now Johnny knows the meaning of true love. He doesn’t know why she loves him, but Johnny is glad she does love him. She’s so adorable. Everyday she makes some time to love her man. Johnny’s got Lorraine.
Radio Ears is the Johnny P answer to Zapp – Radio People. The song is about a girl who listens to the radio everyday. She falls in love with the DJ and the songs played.
Do You Yo-Yo is yet another uptempo dance tune.
Johnny fell in love with this star tonight. She’s hard to stop and she looks so lovely. They danced all night. He tells this star, “We’ll keep on dancing until you say you love me.” He wants to know one thing. Do you yo-yo? You can feel the heat as they both had danced the night away. This is what happens when two hearts meet. One kiss can start a chain reaction.
Poor Side Of Town serves as the closer for this album. His voice is truly reminiscent of Michael Jackson in terms of singing. Johnny P covered Johnny Rivers – Poor Side Of Town on the song Poor Side Of Town. On this cover version of Poor Side Of Town is a funk soul version of that song with a mixture of funk. This version is much different from the original pop-soul version from 1966.
Uncannily his voice sounds similar to an early 80s Michael Jackson. Honestly if Michael Jackson sang this song, it would have been bigger thus becoming a #1 pop hit on the BillBoard.
How can the woman Johnny is dating tell him how much she misses him? The last time Johnny saw her, she wouldn’t even kiss him. That rich guy she has been seeing must have bought her love with money. To him she was nothing more than a little plaything. It was not much more than an overnight thing. To Johnny she was the greatest thing he had ever found. It’s hard to find nice things on the poor side of town.
Johnny welcomes the girl who was dating the rich guy to the poor side of town at the end of Verse 1. “So welcome back baby/To the poor side of town”
Johnny can’t blame her for trying as he is trying to make a living on the poor side of town. However there is just one problem as he has got one little hang up. Johnny can’t make it without the girl he once dated. He is well aware of this factoid.
He asks her, “Are you gonna stay now? Will you stay now? Will you stand by me, girl?” He proceeds to tell her, “They can’t keep us down with you by my side. Together we can make it from the poor side of town, baby. Baby, baby.”
(So tell me how much you love me)
(Come be near to me and say you need me now)
Oh, with you by my side
This world can’t keep us down
Together we can make it baby
From the poor side of town
I rate this album 5/5*****!!
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