Once they were Boyz...now they are Men.
It's a warm quiet day in a low-keyed West Hollywood hotel.
Far from home, Boyz II Men are planning the launch of a new
phase of their career, the evolution phase. Now in their
mid-twenties, they are calm, thoughtful, and altogether
charming, not in a showy way, but through the strength of
sincerity. They say what they mean.
"If this record feels more rooted, it's because we planted
roots back home," says Wanya Morris, the group's first
tenor. "We built our own studio. It's in the country,
just outside of Philly. We call it Stonecreek and it's
where much of the music was nourished and grown. We took
off a year and a half to settle back in. We bought houses
around Philly and reconnected with what's real in our
lives-our values, our families, our sense of belonging, our
graditude of our gifts."
Wanya's smiling face is cherubic, his energy robust. He's
the power-hitter of the group, the clean-up man, the one
whose voice turns flawlessly and from thunder and lightning
to subtlety and grace.
"We were blessed to be reunited with the
producers/songwriters Babyface and Jam & Lewis, who were
key to our success," Wanya continues in his soft-spoken
manner. "This time they urged us to produce ourselves.
They gave us material knowing we had developed the skills
to sculpt that material into final form."
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis contributed "4 Seasons of
Loneliness," perhaps their finest composition to date and
Evolution's first single. It is a love song of
heartbreaking elegance.
In the age of anxiety, Evolution is a testimony to the
power of pre romance. In the age of rage, Evolution speaks
to the heart, reassuring us that harmony-musical, emotional
and spiritual-is an ongoing source of deep pleasure.
Harmony heals.
"We wrote "Never" with Babyface," explains Wanya. "It's a
song about hopeand the power of love. We've always loved
Face's way with melodies. He inspires us, and he says we
inspire him."
Two other inspiring Babyface tunes are at the heart of
Evolution. "Girl in the Life Magazine" is a fantasy, both
poetic and poignant.
"'A Song For Mama' is another Babyface gem," reports Wanya.
"It touches each member of the group on a very personal
level. The first respect we learned was from motherhood.
That's the respect that binds us. And respect, the respect
we show each other, is what keeps us united and
strong."
And that's what they are on this album-united and strong.
Evolution is one of the most beautiful, romantic, and yet
suductive albums ever recorded proving that once they were
boyz...now they are men.