Provocative

Track Listings

1. Provocative

2. Floor

3. Where No Man Has Gone Before

4. I Got You

5. Cute, Sweet Love Addiction [*]

6. Long Way from Home

7. Tell Me How U Want It

8. Mastersuite

9. Quiet Time to Play

10. I Know Where I Stand

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Of the six young men who have been part of the New Edition, Washington, D.C.-native Johnny Gill has far and away the best voice. And 1990's Johnny Gill is still the best album anyone connected with the New Edition has ever made. Provocative revisits the formula of that triumph--handing over the creative responsibilities once again to the two hottest songwriter/producer teams in R&B, the macho Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and the romantic L.A. Reid and Babyface. This time, though, we get the formula instead of the triumph. All the pieces are there--the roof-rattling vocals, the industrial-strength beats, and the sumptuous synth harmonies--but there's no sense of a personality behind the machinery. Gill proves that he can growl and shout in sync with the slamming beats like any neo-disco-man, but Lewis's lyrics sound like the lines that single men on the prowl serve up in bars, and there's nothing in Gill's vocal to indicate that the words are anything but a line. Gill is still an impressive singer. "I Got You," written, produced, and sung by Boyz II Men, is blessed with appealing melodies and lush harmony singing, and "Long Way from Home" by L.A. Reid and Babyface is a truly romantic song that finds Gill finally opening up his heart to reassure a distant lover. He'll have to do that far more often if he wants to create the great soul music his voice makes possible. --Geoffrey Himes

Provocative,Johnny Gill,Motown / Pgd,New Jack Swing,Pop,R&B,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,Urban

Provocative

Tracks:

All Things Being the Same
3,000 Miles
Here She Is
Autobiography of a Pistol
River
Last at the Table
Last Call
Who Killed John Lennon
King of 7th Avenue
Looking for My Friends
Don't Breathe

Amazon.com

This '95 follow up to his now impossible-to-find debut is a sure bet for what Paul does best: tell stories with characters and images that fascinate with repeated listening. He has a high, reedy voice, and he's remarkably adept at vocal phrasing. The record has a clean, acoustic folk-rock sound, and when he takes the most chances, as on "King of Seventh Avenue" and "Last at the Table," he's most compelling. "Last Call," on the other hand, is a revelatory moment of simplicity, and helps make this one of the '90s freshest singer-songwriter albums. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Ellis Paul - "Stories".......2007-03-09

I first listened to this great singer/songwriter out of curiosity because his name is the same as one of my family members...only reversed. I am so glad I didn't miss out. Where has he been all my life?

The album to buy after the new double-disc "Essentials".......2006-10-18

So, we discovered Ellis Paul as a result of the Jim Carrey movie, "Me, Myself and Irene".

That movie featured his song, "The World Ain't Slowin' Down" in key moments of the film. My wife Rachael had to know who the song was by, and so we picked up the soundtrack, and after she heard it enough times it was time to pick up the album it came from, "Translucent Soul".

When it turned out that "Translucent Soul" was a great album, it was time to start picking up his other albums one by one. Each new album that came along didn't disappoint, but it was "Stories" that particularly caught my ear.

Ellis Paul is classified as Folk, and while that genre may have a negative connotation with the younger generation, maybe it would be better categorized as "Songs with substance."

Think of Ellis Paul as a Bob Dylanesque style songwriter with a much better singing voice.

I often research albums before I buy them, but Ellis is one of the few artists I can name that will have me buying every new CD before I hear a note of it. He has consistantly been THAT good.

His brand new double-disc "Essentials" is a magnificent starting point for people to hear what he's all about, and if you decide that you are hooked too? I recommend "Stories" next.

ROCK!

Glenn Case

Grows stronger with each listen.......2003-05-03

I bought this album in casette form many years ago and it was my first introduction to the bard of folk--Mr Paul. All things being the same is (I believe) about the wonderful town of Atlanta
(He mentions Eddie Owen of Attic Fame---"All her friends are nothing more than strangers,
Whose names are just words on a face .
If they bumped into her out on a sidewalk on some Sunday,
They wouldn't recognize her outside of the place".
"3000 Miles" is the title of Ellis's first DVD!---it's also a song he plays often at concerts. A classic! "Here she is" is about his (then) wife---How's about this for the start of a love song--->"If you could paint her, she'd be a Picasso.
She's got a few things out of place.
Like when she smiles, it's slightly out of line"
"Autobiography of a Pistol" I didn't like the music to this song when I first heard it---but it has grown on me over the years; the lyrics are awesome--->"Some things they never tell you when you're riding the assembly line.
Like who'll be the hands to hold you and what's their state of mind - -"
"River" is about River Phoenix, and it too grows on ya
"Last at The Table" was the song that converted me to a fully fledged fan of the man---its acoustic, but it rocks--->"Hello, Mr. Bureaucrat.You pick who's thin -- you pick who's fat"
"Last Call" is a quiet song, finger-picked and lush about a lady who works in a bar--->"The excuses get weaker as the stories get tall.
You step off with the wrong foot, the drunk fool at the ball."
" Who Killed John Lennon?": says it all--->"And each time he's televised, he kills him again.
It's the prize that he wanted when he loaded the gun.
And each time he's mentioned, murder is done"
"King of Seventh Avenue"---inspired by a short story by Ethan Canin (Emperor of the Air) about the proverbial guy on the ledge--->"I hear the crowd all ask for jumping,
While the cops all ask for calm.
Even the pigeons think I'm something,
The whole city is in my palms"
"Looking for My Friends" hes out looking for his friends because she left him--->She left the note in the sleeve of my coat, that was not nice -- I called her on the phone, the voice that spoke, it was cold, it was hard as ice. I tried to speak,
the connection was weak 'cause I was talking to a machine.
She said, "If this is you, we're totally through,"
and that's the last of her I've seen"
"Don't Breathe"--->one of Ellis's most plaintive songs
--->"Did I tell you then?
These are moments whole lifetimes are built on"
Thats the end!

Some Great Stories, Some Bad..........2001-03-26

Ok, Ellis Paul is Boston's Folk-pop patriarch. Everyone who likes the genre has this album. With songs like "The King of Seventh Avenue" and "Here She Is", it's easy to see why. These songs alone deserve the 4 star rating.

Even so, the cd lacks depth. "I Shot John Lennon" is a waste of plastic. In it, Paul attempts to assassinate talk show trash. What could be worse than wasting one's time watching talk shows? You guessed it: a song about wasting time watching talk shows. "Autobiography of a Pistol" is so ridiculous it has become part of the stand up routine of Rick Jenkins (one of Boston's best comedians).

If you like the genre, you probably already have this or have a friend who does. Definitely check it out, but remember to program your cd player and avoid the god-awful filler songs.

Still my fave.......2000-12-09

I think it's safe to call me an Ellis Paul devotee. I have all his albums, having first discovered him on the fabulous WBOS when I was living in Boston. But Stories remains my favorite. I can listen to it over and over and it never gets stale. Ellis' lyrics are so beautiful and succinct that they make you ache. King of Seventh Avenue, Autobiography of a Pistol, Who Killed John Lennon, all incredible songs, but I think 3000 Miles may be among my most favorite songs ever. If you've heard of Ellis Paul and are looking for a good cd to try out, here it is and welcome to the fan club!

Average customer rating:

My My My - what a voice @}->---
Good effort, though not as strong as Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill once again pleases with the ballads
Will someone give this man a record deal?
A Fabulous Album

Provocative
Johnny Gill
Manufacturer: Mca Special Products
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary R&B | R&B | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

New Jack | R&B | Styles | Music
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Johnny Gill
Let's Get the Mood Right
Ralph Tresvant
Poison
It's Goin' Down

ASIN: B000001AKR
Release Date: 1993-06-08

Tracks:

Provocative
The Floor
Where No Man Has Gone Before
I Got You
A Cute, Sweet, Love Addiction
Long Way From Home
Tell Me How U Want It
Mastersuite
Quiet Time To Play
I Know Where I Stand

Amazon.com

Of the six young men who have been part of the New Edition, Washington, D.C.-native Johnny Gill has far and away the best voice. And 1990's Johnny Gill is still the best album anyone connected with the New Edition has ever made. Provocative revisits the formula of that triumph--handing over the creative responsibilities once again to the two hottest songwriter/producer teams in R&B, the macho Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and the romantic L.A. Reid and Babyface. This time, though, we get the formula instead of the triumph. All the pieces are there--the roof-rattling vocals, the industrial-strength beats, and the sumptuous synth harmonies--but there's no sense of a personality behind the machinery. Gill proves that he can growl and shout in sync with the slamming beats like any neo-disco-man, but Lewis's lyrics sound like the lines that single men on the prowl serve up in bars, and there's nothing in Gill's vocal to indicate that the words are anything but a line. Gill is still an impressive singer. "I Got You," written, produced, and sung by Boyz II Men, is blessed with appealing melodies and lush harmony singing, and "Long Way from Home" by L.A. Reid and Babyface is a truly romantic song that finds Gill finally opening up his heart to reassure a distant lover. He'll have to do that far more often if he wants to create the great soul music his voice makes possible. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

My My My - what a voice @}->---.......2006-03-15

While there is no song in the universe as beautiful and as sexy as My My My, this is a fantastic effort for the next cd. The best song on here is Cute Sweet Love Addiction. I love it - it is cool and upbeat and basically just fun. The Floor was such a big hit for obvious reasons - it's tight and very funky, but the best ballad is Quiet Time To Play. It's in that song that I think he works his vocalls the best and shows off his incredible skills. I love Johnny and this is one of many of his albums I own. I really recommend it because of the mix between fast music and sexy bedroom ballads.

Good effort, though not as strong as Johnny Gill.......2006-03-13

This album is good, but lacks the excitement of Johnny Gill from 1990. I liked the stomping feel of The Floor, the funky I Got You with Boyz II Men and the rapidly paced song Provocative. But my favorite is the ballad Tell Me How U Want It, which I still like to hum along to. It's really my second favorite ballad from Johnny after My, My, My. Very soothing and comforting song in its lush relaxing sound. The rest of the album is mostly filler and would have been better sung by an underrated R&B male singer struggling to get his single higher than No. 54 on the singles charts. But that's what it's like, when a stylistic artistically done song gets passed on by a commercially slick keep it to 3 minutes song. Johnny has made better songs than the filler that takes about 5 songs. It will take you days to figure this album out because of its unevenness.

Johnny Gill once again pleases with the ballads.......2005-04-12

Johnny Gill has always been best at ballads and is easily regarded as one of the best balladers of all time. His follow up to his 1990 CD didn't impress me as much but he's in top form on track 6-10 where his smooth vocals and amazing range are best suited.

Will someone give this man a record deal?.......2003-04-04

Johnny Gill is a storm waiting too long to happen. Ever since his debut in the early eighties, his is a talent that has not been recognized by the masses. His modest successes as a solo artist, a duet partner (with Stacy Lattisaw), and a group member (New Edition) have yet to make him the superstar that he so richly deserves. The title of "Baby Luther" is warranted for he and Vandross share the same quality of interpreting a song.

"Provocative" shows Gill in a variety of formats, from dance ("The Floor") to romantic ballads ("Quiet Time to Play") to the sacred ("I Know Where I Stand"). It's on the latter that Gill presents a voice that is destined for the stage.

A fun ditty is "A Cute, Sweet Love Addiction", written by Jam & Lewis, paying homage to Tyrone Davis's "If I Could Turn Back Time".

A Fabulous Album.......2003-03-04

I love this album, it is as good as his 1990 album. My favoorite songs are "A Cute, Sweet, Love Addition", "The Floor", "I Got You", "Provocative" and more. Johnny show a lot spunk and energy here, you can tell he is having a good time. They did a really great job on the production of this album, it whips azz compared to most pop/r&b around now. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys soulful, funky, sexy, & smooth R&B.

Average customer rating:

Persuasive Percussion
Enoch Light
Manufacturer: MCA / Good Music Record Co.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Whipped Cream & Other Delights (40th Anniversary Edition)

ASIN: B000ANRM2G

Product Description

This 2 CD set released by MCA's Good Music Company in 1996 combines Enoch Light's Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion albums and includes 4 bonus tracks. Song listing: DISC ONE: 1. I'm In The Mood For Love 2. Whatever Lola Wants 3. Misirlou 4. I Surrender, Dear 5. Orchids In The Moonlight 6. I Love Paris 7. My Heart Belongs To Daddy 8. Tabu 9. Japanese Sandman 10. Out Of Nowhere 11. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing 12. Aloha Tango 13. Blue Tango 14. Yours Is My Heart Alone 15. In A Persian Market 16. Mambo Jambo 17. La Cucaracha 18. Lady Of Spain 19. Brazil 20. Theme From Polovetzian Dances DISC TWO: 1. You're the Top 2. Somebody Loves Me 3. Blues In the Night 4. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps 5. Love For Sale 6. Fascinating Rythm 7. 'S Wonderful 8. Mood Indigo 9. Ain't Misbehavin' 10. Song of India 11. The Man I Love 12. Mad About The Boy 13. Hernando's Hideaway 14. Mack The Knife 15. Speak To Me Of Love-Cha Cha 16. Kashmiri Song 17. Matilda 18. What Is This Thing Called Love 19. Temptation 20. Speak Low

Average customer rating:

Of the Black & the Blue

Manufacturer: Long Ago Light
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAFT1S
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Average customer rating:

Greatest Jazz Music 1950's
An Enoch Light Vinyl Collector
A sure-fire disk for testing your stereo system

Provocative Percussion
Enoch Light & the Command All-Stars
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Lounge | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
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Little Things Mean a Lot: Great Hits of the Fifties
Beatles Classics
Heart & Soul Guitar
Whipped Cream & Other Delights (40th Anniversary Edition)

ASIN: B0000014X7
Release Date: 1995-08-01

Tracks:

You're the Top
Somebody Loves Me
Blues In the Night
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
Love For Sale
Fascinating Rythm
'S Wonderful
Mood Indigo
Ain't Misbehavin'
The Man I Love
Song of India
Mad About The Boy
Hernando's Hideaway
Matilda
Good Night Sweetheart-Cha Cha
The Lady Is A Tramp
Speak Low
Temptation

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Jazz Music 1950's.......2004-08-03

This LP is from my parent. This music from the late 1959. The sound could be better in CD than compare from the LP, but I have touble to get this in CD or MP3. For anyone who is interest in Jazz. This is must listen and have in the collection.

An Enoch Light Vinyl Collector.......1999-12-06

I bought this CD right away when I see it at the local store! I discovered Enoch Light records when I was collecting vinyl records, and I was amazed by the way the "quality of sound and fidelity" of his records. And this was back in the '50s and "60s. I'm planning to buy the rest Enoch Light reissues on CD.

A sure-fire disk for testing your stereo system.......1999-08-24

Track 13, Hernando's Hideaway will really give your system a workout and show any flaws. I use this disk to audtion speakers when I go shopping. The salesmen are so taken with it, they usually run right out and buy it. Very listenable also.

Average customer rating:

American Whore

Manufacturer: Ultraplanet Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00006FMYV
Release Date: 2002-08-20

Tracks:

Suicide Beauty Queen
Doll
Ashamed
Sink or Swim
Safe
Break Away
Bored with a Gun
Captivate
Hooked on Drama
#1 Bestseller
Go!
Still Searching
(the me) Inside of Me
Sometimes
What I Mean
Doll (clean version)
Suicide Beauty Queen (clean version)

Album Description

Blue Eyed Christ return with their most compelling release yet. American Whore recorded entirely in Los Angeles features dynamics and instrumentation never before revealed in their catalog. Deep with pop-hooks and melodies over hard electronics, guitars, and rhythms, this album is as comfortable in the underground as it is on commercial radio.

Average customer rating:

Ellis Plays it like it's Religion!!
Unfinished Songs??? This is Ellis' best CD!!!
No Mistakes Here
Refreshingly real in today's day and age.

Sweet Mistakes
Ellis Paul
Manufacturer: Black Wolf Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Am I Home
Urban Folksongs
The Speed of Trees
A Carnival of Voices
Stories

ASIN: B00005UCB6
Release Date: 2001-11-13

Tracks:

Kristian's Song
Sweet Mistakes
New Orleans
Seventeen Septembers
Independence Day
3,000 Miles (remix)
The Martyr's Lounge
Roll Away Bed
The Art of Distance
Medicine
The 20th Century is Over
Beautiful World

Product Description

In the last couple of years, piles of songs have been collecting in my Boston apartment like old letters and postcards. Demos and lyric sheets, all gathering dust in the various corners--30 of them in all, patiently waiting for a new album to come home. Many of these songs had been demoed in unconventional ways by myself and co-conspirators. I went down to Atlanta and recorded "Sweet Mistakes", "20th Century is Over", "Martyr's Lounge", "Independence Day" over a weekend with Kristian and Don at Nickle and Dime Studios. We had made a promise to work together, and were finally following through--sadly, the studio burned down a few months after these songs were recorded, and the master tapes were destroyed forever by the fire--so, there was no chance for remixing, no cleaning up, no fixing parts--These are first run versions in all their vulnerable glory.

Customer Reviews:

Ellis Plays it like it's Religion!!.......2003-05-03

"Sweet Mistakes" is a song that was chosen for the movie "Shallow Hal".
"Kristian's Song" is about Kristian Bush (One half of Billy Pilgram and producer (along with one half of "Catbird Seat's Bob Bedell!!--Hi Bob and Don McCallister). This is a very cinema-graphic song ("Past an old man at a window past two kids asleep on pillows, past a woman like a willow") "Seventeen Septembers" is about a couples ironic breakup---their offspring is at the same age as they were when they made-out in the back of a car ("One night in a car changed who you are") "New Orleans" is a cool finger-picked love song ("Here's me tripping on the clouds, i'm laughing tumbling down, I've fallen on your door step--In New Orleans, it stretches
beneath my feet, I'm the King of Bourbon Street, Stike a match and all the street lights catch"
"The Art of Distance" ("You get the call on your message machine, its 2am, it better be important" "if you knew the art of distance would you lay in your bed or take a cab across town". "Medicine" is one a song about dependence on drugs (references to Marilyn Monroe ("Who's gonna call Joe Dimaggio") "And we've asked you to change and ain't it strange how friends disappear". "The Martyr's Lounge" is a long time favorite concert song---a funny (ha-ha) song. "3000 Miles" is a remix one of the songs Ellis plays alot in concert---and rightly so: with its driving (no pun intended) panaramic lyrics. "Down in Houston on comes this woman With two kids and a bottle of booze,And she cracked them both like match heads Whenever they ventured too close to her fuse" "The 20th Century Is Over" is one of Ellis's poems set to a rather cool laid-back rap-like backing music---it really grows on ya with time. Find out what Ellis thinks about the 20th century! "Beautiful World" is another poem sung. "Independence Day" Rocks ("I shed some light on the mystery of why I kicked her out on Independence Day, With the fire works burning I found my self learning--couldn't lay in my bed the same way") "Roll Away Bed" is for the sheer fun of it kinda song. Indeed no mis takes!

Unfinished Songs??? This is Ellis' best CD!!!.......2002-09-14

I'm not sure what everyone's talking about, but this is Ellis' most polished, well produced, folk-rocky, dare I say potentially "breakout" CD so far. Ellis, please consider working with this producer next time. Forget the new one (Speed of Trees), and seek out this superb CD!

No Mistakes Here.......2002-02-06

This is a CD that is actually made up of B-Sides, old recordings and remastered tunes, and in a word, awesome. From the dream-song (yes, based on an actual dream) "New Orleans" to the moving-on song "Independence Day" this CD is soft and rockin' at the same time. It, like most of Ellis' music, has a little something for everyone. The driving desperation of "Medicine," the discovery and memories of "Seventeen Septembers"--I could go on and on. This is an incredible CD, and it stands solidly next to Ellis' label recordings (Ellis put this one out on his own). Deep lyrics and great melodies will draw you in! Buy this CD while you can!

Refreshingly real in today's day and age........2001-12-17

The joke goes something like this. George Harrison enters the gates of Heaven and encounters the legendary band people on Earth only dream about. Jimi, Janis, Elvis, Keith Moon, and all the other legends are playing away. He notices a familiar figure in black leather and sunglasses belting out U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday. Turning to John Lennon, George remarks it was odd that Bono died the same day he did. Lennon turns to Harrison and says, "that's just God, sometimes he thinks he's Bono".

In todays age of self absorbed stars with an inflated sense of their own importance, it's refreshing to see that somebody like Ellis Paul is still performing and recording.

Ellis is, in short, New England. He's a story teller with all of the simple humility and ability to connect that is sorely lacking today. In a recent performance, he sang acappella while changing his own guitar strings. Rather than brag about singing the National Anthem before a Red Sox-Yankees game, he told the audience about the overwhelming urge he had to run the bases at Fenway before he was done singing. Instead of preaching about his views on 9-11, his guitar simple had the words, "Terror Killing Machine" scrawled on it in a Woody Guthriesque manner.

Paul's "Sweet Mistakes" is an eclectic mix of stories that gives Paul the room to experiment with hip-hop beats and backup singers. Because the album is more a collection of songs than a true album recorded as a unit, the listner is treated to Paul's experimentation along with his trademark guitar and vocals.

My personal favorite is the acappella "Beautiful Word". New Orleans, 3,000 Miles, Kristian's Song are also standouts. It's much easier to listen and absorb Ellis Paul, than it is to critique him. In short, it's a great CD and I reccomend it.

Tracks:

Realities
Flower Song
Erinaki
Two Strings
A Grand Mansion
Graceful
The Gardner
Hey Valla!
Perfect Love
Elenas Melody

Average customer rating:

A New Classic

Am I Home

Manufacturer: Black Wolf Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Urban Folksongs
Sweet Mistakes
A Carnival of Voices
Stories
Side of the Road

ASIN: B000055WEY
Release Date: 2000-10-21

Tracks:

Angel
This Old Car
Fireflies
Am I Home
Poet Fool
Traffic
City Song
New Light On Your Halo
Town Crier
Friday Night

Album Description

This was my second cassette album, it was released in 1990. I was 24...It was recorded in Tom Dube's little living room studio apartment in Boston, with a couple of microphones, a couple of guitars, and a couple open tunings. I was starting to write story songs like "This Old Car", "Am I Home", and "Town Crier" which would help to influence the story telling course of my later recordings...I hope you enjoy it! -- Ellis Paul

Customer Reviews:

A New Classic.......2001-07-30

For those of you who have listened to and enjoyed Ellis Paul's more recent stuff, you really should check out "Am I Home." I am buying a second copy (on CD) to replace my extremely worn out cassette, which I have been listening to for over 10 years. His original recordings of "Angel" and "Friday Night", plus "Am I Home" - one of my all-time favorite of his songs - capture the origins of Ellis - a truely awesome folk-singer and really good person. You won't be sorry!