Recently I’ve been binge-watching DVR’d episodes of Unsung, the TV One docuseries that chronicles R&B stars’ rise and fall (and often their eventual comeback).

I’m fascinated by the stories of these artists, many of whom I only had a passing familiarity with, and discovering more about the musicians with whom they’d worked and interacted over their career. After finishing an episode, I often have the urge to purchase whole albums, not greatest hits. There’s so much good music I missed or completely overlooked, which is the very point of Unsung.

Johnny Gill was the focus of the last episode of Unsung that I watched. I didn’t know much about his early career, which by 1985 had included two solo offerings and a duet album with childhood friend, Stacy Lattisaw (also an Unsung subject. Gill’s career really took off after joining New Edition in 1987, hitting big with Heart Break, an album primarily produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Taking advantage of New Edition’s hiatus in 1990, Gill rebooted his solo career by signing with Motown Records. Jam and Lewis were on board for the project, with Motown also recruiting another powerhouse production duo, L.A. Reid and Babyface. The resulting self-titled album scored the singer his biggest multi-format hits, “Rub You The Right Way” and “My My My.” (Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that the New Jack Swing of “Rub You The Right Way” was minted by the genius Minneapolis mind-meld of Jam and Lewis.)

Twenty-three years ago this week, “Rub You The Right Way” had just been at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, while the single was only in its third week on the Hot 100, sitting at #35. “Rub You The Right Way” would continue its rise that summer, finally peaking at #3 on the chart on August 8, 1990. Gill’s single sounds just as good today, still rubbing me the right way.

Purchase Johnny Gill – “Rub You The Right Way” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.