Boyz II Men in love

The Grammy-nominated Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, made up of Motown classics by Boyz II Men was good. I particularly liked their takes on Ribbon In The Sky by Stevie Wonder and Tracks Of My Tears by Smokey Robinson. They even covered themselves with the a cappella version of their first big hit, End Of The Road. It was all very nice.

Now Boyz II Men has released its follow-up bid. It is another cover album. No, not a Motown, Volume 2, although that would have still been nice given the vast Motown catalogue of classics. The acclaimed R&B vocal group’s latest release is the simply titled Love. And I believe that the CD is an excellent example of what an all-covers album should be. Boyz II Men outdid even itself with this wonderful collection.

The first right thing they did is to choose unlikely songs. If you were putting together an album by a male R&B group, the most likely choices would be solo hits by female artists. Think Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton. But Boyz II Men went for the unexpected with pop rock hits like Back For Good by Take That and Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Then if you want to include songs that have already been done many times before, make sure that your version will come out totally different. This was what happened to Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper, which they did a cappella and you know that these three guys sound fantastic without accompaniment. And also to the over and over and over again revived When I Fall In Love by Doris Day or Nat King Cole. They included a featured guest in Michael Bublé.

Then, if you can, get Randy Jackson to produce. I know that the American Idol judge is a successful and respected music producer but this is the first time I was really amazed by his efforts. This is so good that it would take a very, very special CD to get Love out of my player. It is so well-done down to the way the songs were sequenced. Then maybe because Randy was producing and he once played with Journey, the Boyz’s version of Open Arms is one of the best cuts in the album.

Also included in Love by Boyz II Men are: Could It Be I’m Falling In Love by The Spinners; If You Leave Me Now by Chicago; Amazed by Lonestar; I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt; Cupid by Sam Cooke; Shining Star by The Manhattans; In My Life by the Beatles; and Misty Blue by Dorothy Moore.

Of course, none of these things would have worked if the recording artist did not do a good job. Singing-wise, Wanya Morris, Nate Morris and Shawn Stockman are at their best in the CD. The solos, the harmonies, and the melisma that has become their trademark since the days of their early hits like I’ll Make Love To You, On Bended Knee and One Sweet Day, are all there in great form.

Now after you are through listening to Love, you can still brace yourselves for an even bigger treat. This is hearing those songs performed live. Boyz II Men will sing songs from Love plus their previous hits in the one-night only Boyz II Men: The Love Tour at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Aug. 13. Tickets are priced at P4,500, P4,000, P3,500, P2,500, P1,000 and P500 are available at Ticketnet outlets at SM Department Stores.

We go now from one durable male group to another. Side A, the much-awarded big-selling band, which has been making hits for over 20 years, think Forevermore, Hold On and others, is embarking on a mall tour. Catch them in these places as they perform songs from their latest album Only 1.

The mall tour started yesterday at the Robinsons in Metro East. This will be followed by Robinsons Place Lipa Batangas on Aug. 7; Robinsons Starmills, Pampanga, Aug. 8; Robinsons Gen San, Aug. 15; Robinsons Santa Rosa Market, Aug. 21; Robinsons Galleria, Aug. 28; and Robinsons Place Imus, Aug. 29.