Buy Boyz II Men - Motown Hitsville USA
I'm usually cynical about established artists who haven't had original hits for years and then release a covers album. You're already mentally going through your CD collection, right? But I have to say the latest album from Boyz II Men (their first in five years) shame faces lukewarm attempts at re-creating the Motown sound (think: Human Nature) and the best forgotten Barnesy stab.
Randy Jackson, aka an American Idol judge when not producing Beyonce, Madonna, Elton et al, collaborates with Boyz II Men to serve up a slick production of 12 classics fashioned with an extra soulful R&B kick, capturing the essence of Motown. Boyz II Men's flawless harmonies lap at your ears with their velvety quartet-style vocals. Albeit the lads are one quarter short these days with Michael McCary's exit in 2003 (due to health problems), leaving Shawn Stockman, and Wanya and Nathan Morris to trill as a trio in their clean-cut style.
Songs include an emotion-tugging version of Tracks of My Tears, punctuated by a slower rhythm of the Smokey Robinson original. This one had me hitting the repeat button. The A cappella treatment of Stevie Wonder's, Ribbon in the Sky, shows the boys have stayed true to form as a vocal powerhouse. And Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) beckons you to dance to this brighter version of the Marvin Gaye hit.
The album reflects a mature-sounding Boyz II Men. Motown: Hitsville USA is for those who like their Motown well-done, not half-baked.
Buy Boyz II Men - Motown Hitsville USA
01 Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
02 It's Same Old Song/Reach Out I'll Be There
03 Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
04 Tracks Of My Tears
05 Money (That's What I Want)
06 Easy
07 I Was Made To Love Her
08 All This Love
09 Ribbon In The Sky (A Cappella)
10 Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (Feat. Patti LaBelle)
11 There'll Never Be
12 Got To Be There
13 War
14 End Of The Road (Feat. Brian McKnight)
Boyz II Men - Motown Hitsville USA
