Its hard to believe that Boyz II Men have been in the game for 20 Years but its even harder to fathom for about half of that....Boyz II men have been somewhat dormant on the musical landscape. The "Motown Philly" crooners had a well documented line up shake up when original member Michael McCary left the group in 2003 for health issues. But even so, its seemed like the group could never ever reached the heights that their musical career took them in the 90's as the premiere R&B quartet.
for most of the 00's it seemed that Boyz II men had been reduced to a cover band. Creating album after album of songs about seasons and trite, uninspired remakes of classics with the bands typical croonings and spot on harmonies. Their talent was simply not enough to elevate their material. So when I came across "20" - the bands double CD homage to their 20 year in the game, the acknowledgment came with a side eye and a passing iota of interest. When I discovered that the Album contained 12 tracks of brand new music, my soul perked up in the hopes of receiving something in the vein of say "II" - arguable the bands most commercially embraced album and most classic.
Listening to "20" i had a sort of revelation about the group. Exactly why are they not as popular now as when the were in the 90's. "20" seems to pick up exactly where "II" left off and its amazing that, vocally, the group sounds as fresh and polished as they did back then. Its also a testament to the integrity of the group that 20 years later, none have appeared on "Celebrity Rebab" have had extensive run ins with the law, had their financial dealings aired out in the media, developed coke habits, or had public baby mama drama. So I guess that answers my question...lol. Even still "20" is a solid collection of tracks and to boot, the CD contains a second disc of classics that I could have done without, but that many Boyz II Men fans will appreciate.
Stands outs on the album include "Put Some Music On" an airy, moody, sexy midtempo romantic jawn, "Slowly" a slightly kinkier version of "I'll make love to you" and "Will You be There" a vocally bombastic, midtempo stunner. All in all, its good though to see that Boyz II Men have a lot of music still left in them - this is pure R&B. No gimmicks, no autotune, in fact, listening to "20" is a painful reminder of how far music has fallen off. Gone are the days when artist were required to have talent, gone are the days when a specific sound was created for artist, gone are the days when artist actually brought something to the table. Which inevitably answers my original question. Boyz II Men will probably never be as big as they once were because the machine is no longer in place to elevate them to those heights. The industry, at best, has a passing interest in populating the landscape with R&B groups and of the new ones, none could still light a candle to the talent and success of Boyz II Men. In essence, these cats just haven't had their just due as musical legends who have pioneered a long track in music and influenced generations of new and up and coming artist.
But the music just hasn't died and if anything "20" makes a bold statement about the group and their potential for future greatness. If at any time, music returns to the integrity and inspiration it held dear in the 90's, then Boyz II Men is surely waiting in the wings to dust off their crowns and claim their former glory. Past, present and future.
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