I've been listening to the bad live recordings of Johnny's new stuff...
Music. It's like Johnny never lost any of the magic he's had since The Smiths. I would go far as saying his backing tracks are better than anything Moz has released since Your Arsenal.
Lyrics. He has grown since the Healers days, his lyrics vary from averagely pleasant to surprisingly good.
Vocals and vocal hooks. I actually like his voice better than what Moz's has grown into, it's a vast improvement over the old Healers....The most important thing is that the vocal melodies are really catchy and strong, as strong as anything Morrissey has come up with in recent years.
Production of the new songs. Excellent. Far better than Morrissey's, especially considering Morrissey hiring the best of the best.
So if this were a competition I'd give a slight edge to Johnny. Morrissey still has great lyrics (sometimes), but the lack of having a solid musical foundation really hurts him.
Johnny is like Brian Wilson; great, catchy but brilliantly layered, disposable pop made for mainstream consumption.
Morrissey is like John Lennon; high minded lyrics, with good enough music to sell his words, made for the intellect and the heart.
I don't think they need each other anymore. I like what they are doing on their own now.