Ranking the Best Songs on LSG’s Levert.Sweat.Gill

Travel with your boy back to 1997 when, mere weeks after starting my first semester of college, I learn that my fave, my dude, my KANG Keef Sweat was joining forces with my favorite member of New Edition and one of the most underrated artists of the era to form a supergroup.

And it wasn’t just the idle chatter you hear about today’s alleged supergroups. This one actually happened.

Gerald Levert. Keith Sweat. Johnny Gill.

LIFE WAS GOOD.

And their debut album, that was good too. Very, very good.

Today, New Edition superfan Derrick Dunn returns to join me in celebrating 25 years since my guys dropped their fan favorite collabo, Levert.Sweat.Gill. This one still holds up but … is it a classic? Let’s discuss.

Let’s talk about your pick for best song.

Derrick: “Door #1”

I would have to say the best song is “Door #1.” First and foremost it has the Edwin Nicholas and Gerald Levert magic.  Anytime an artist uses a new song and correlates it to their previous hits they instantly win me over. With “Door #1”, I’m reminded of what Quincy Jones did with ““The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite).” In essence you take top tier male vocalists, bring them together and each is one able to provide a different element of romance.

Edd: “My Body”

I’m actually surprised the homie Derrick went with “Door #1” as his, uh, No. 1. Despite its relatively low placement on my list I don’t hate the song; it has a cool concept but it just feels a little formulaic to me. I was pretty surprised when it was picked as the album’s third single. But by far the best song here is the album’s lead, “My Body,” which perfectly plays to each of the guys’ strengths. From the sensual production to the memorable ad-libs, it’s the bedroom burner for all bedroom burners – nobody begs for love better than these brothers. It’s no question why it’s the most memorable track from this release.

There’s lot of strong album cuts. Which is the best?

Derrick: “Round and Round”

The strongest album cut is “Round and Round.”   This bop follows “Door#1” and was an excellent transition. If I were a musical director on an LSG tour this song and “Door #1” would have been the songs where I had the guy pull a lady on stage to serenade them. Mr. Sweat produced this one and co-wrote it with Edwin Nicholas. However it never sounds like a solo Sweat song and his voice meshes perfectly with Gill and Levert.

Edd: “Love Hurts”

Man we’re not gonna agree on anything today, are we? My pick for best cut goes to “Love Hurts,” which has 1997 Keith Sweat written ALL over it. I’m talking literally – he produced and co-wrote the track and it sounds directly from his playbook. But what wins me over are the impassioned performances from the guys. “Love Hurts” isn’t just a title, they SOUND pained in their performances as they convince their girl to give love another try. I’m sure y’all will call it Simp Music in 2022 but it’s also why y’all haven’t had a stable relationship since 10^th grade. Nothing wrong with showing vulnerability, as my guys prove here.

This project produced four singles. What would be your pick for No. 5?

Derrick: I do think the group chose the right songs for singles.  However it is a CRIME that “All the Times” never got an official video.   Looking back to 1997, Hype Williams, Paul Hunter and Billie Woodruff were all making music videos with a cinematic feel. I always envisioned a video for “All the Times” showcasing black love throughout different time periods.

Edd: “You Got Me”

You’re right that “All the Times” should have gotten a video but since it TECHNICALLY was a single I won’t choose that one. Really, the only other contender is “You Got Me.” It has 97 Puff’s stamp of approval and the addition of Jadakiss gives it enough edge for radio play. I don’t see it being a major hit by any means but it would be a fun radio track.

Name the best feature on the album.

Derrick: Faith Evans, Coko and Missy Elliott, “All The Times”

Without a doubt the best feature is Faith Evans, Coko & Missy Elliott on “All The Times.”

Edd: Faith Evans, Coko and Missy Elliott, “All The Times”

Agree, playa, pick any of the ladies from “All the Times” and you’ve got a winner. I specifically love Missy’s husky vocals sliding in at the end. But allow me to give a quick shoutout to MC Lyte’s verse on “Curious” – I always thought her contribution in particular was a gem.

“The Check Is In The Mail” was the initial B side to “My Body.” It didn’t make the album. What song would you drop on the official release to make room for it?

Derrick: “Let a Playa Get His Freak On”

The worst song on the album is “Let a Playa Get His Freak On.”  I would have replaced it with “The Check Is in the Mail” which was the initial B-Side of the “My Body” single.

Edd: “Round & Round”

This is why you’re my boy – WHY didn’t “The Check Is in the Mail” make the final tracklisting!? It’s one of the best songs LSG recorded. “Let a Playa Get His Freak On” is ridiculously goofy but it has its charm. I’d drop “Round & Round” instead – it feels way too much like Keef’s Merry Go Round Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Unnecessary.

Were you surprised that LSG didn’t do a national tour?

Derrick: I’m still very surprised that the group didn’t do a national tour to promote the project. When you look at it, we had four shows in one.  However with Johnny Gill coming off the disastrous Home Again tour and Keith Sweat just wrapping up a summer headlining tour, maybe they were burnt out on touring.

Edd: I’m not surprised, for all the reasons you mentioned. Keith spent most of the second half of 1996 on the road, including stops with New Edition – and if you remember the rumors, things didn’t go too well for Keef and Bobby Brown back then. A tour seemed like a no-brainer, but busy schedules and bad timing seemed to prevent that from happening.

Did you hear the follow up LSG2? What did you think of it?

Derrick: Yes sir. I remember purchasing LSG2 from Circuit City in the summer of 2003. Initially I gave the project the side eye. New Edition had previously signed with Bad Boy in the fall of 2002. The group’s 20^th anniversary was approaching for fall 2003 and I initially thought that Johnny’s involvement with this project would delay New Edition’s progress.  Ironically, the New Edition reunion was delayed until 2004 and LSG2 arrived with little fanfare. That said there are solid tracks on here particularly the lead single “Just Friends,” “Fa-Free” and “All I Know.”

Edd: I was a big LSG fan – surprisingly no one reading this piece – but I always thought the group was a one-off. And I was OK with that. Better to go out on top than limp to the finish line, I say. So imagine my surprise when the guys showed up on 106 & Park in 2003 to drop off the video for their latest project! I was TOO HYPE and I was a big fan of “Just Friends.” The album itself thought? It was pretty disappointing. While the first album truly seemed like a group effort (even though Keith’s influences were unmistakable), LSG2 felt more like a rushed Gerald Levert solo project, with Johnny n’ Keef in feature roles. Outside of “Just Friends” I wasn’t impressed at all. As the Unbiased and Objective Album Reviewer you know and love/hate, I refuse to say LSG2 was bad – it had its moments – but as a fan I was pretty disappointed.

Levert, Sweat or Gill – who is the MVP of this album?

Derrick: All the gentlemen brought their A game to the album but I would say the MVP is Mr. Levert.

Edd: Y’ALL THOUGHT I WAS GONNA SAY KEITH SWEAT! Nope, I agree with Derrick. Keith may come off like the project’s maestro, due to his writing style being so distinct, but Gerald wrote and produced just as many tracks as Keef. And sure, Johnny’s vocal performances always give goosebumps but it’s Gerald who often is the glue that held those songs together. G was the MVP for sure.

Is Levert.Sweat.Gill a R&B classic?

Derrick: This may be a hot take but as a complete project I don’t think it’s an R&B classic. Reason being outside of the group’s cover of “Curious,” the up-tempo material is overly textbook.  Nevertheless the slow jams and ballads on the project  make the album a very good one.

Edd: Levert.Sweat.Gill is a great album and still fondly remembered today – mainly because it’s become a quiet blueprint for R&B supergroup albums. But, despite the success of “My Body” and the album’s double-platinum designation, there’s not much else here that makes a historical impact – the key ingredient for classic status. No real ground was broken. Great album, yes. Classic album? Not quite.

Who did you agree with more? And what did you think of LSG and their beloved debut? Let us know below.