Don't be surprised someday if Boyz II Men record a country album.
The Philadelphia-based quartet of crooners comprise the '90's generation of multi-million-selling R&B artists on the Motown label. The idea of them singing country produces waves of laughter in a teleconference phone call between bass singer Michael McCary, speaking from the band's rehersal in Miami, Fla., and a dizen or so journalists scattered across the continent.
"We're into everything," McCary goes on to explain. "We went to the High School for Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia and we were all taught classical music originally. And we sang gospel, jazz, a little bitof everything.
"So we might just surprise everybody and come out with anything," he continues. "We don't want to be limited in anything we do. We don't want to be catergorized by anyone saying we're just a black group or we are a pop group or anything like that. We just want to be known as a group that does great vocals."
The four - McCary, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris, and Nate Morris-ceratinly are known for their great vocals, with multiple Grammy Awards to their credit, as well as others from Soul Train, NAACP, and more. They've sold millions of albums and collaborated with hot producers like Babyface, with his "I'll Make Love to You," with L.A. Reid, on "End of the Road," and "I Sit Away," and with Dallas Austin on "Motownphilly," the group's first hit. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced songs like "On Bended Knee," and "All Around the World."
In an age of grunge, rap, hip-hop, and other forms of music more aggressive than the ballad-heavy repertory of Boyz II Men, their clean-cut imag and successful blending of voices stand out on the pop charts. McCary thinks the songs' focus on love is the key.
"I think everyone wants romance and we kind of speak for everyone," he continues. "So if someone can't say it for themself, just pop in a CD - we're saying it for you."
McCary is candid about the group's place in the grand show business scheme of things. "We're just a resurgence of the past," he says. "We're not doing anyhing new that anyone before us didn't do."
"Today there's such an emphasis on singing like it was in the '60s, and we just thank God for it because we never come up with anything else,"he chuckles.
They've worked hard as a team to get where they're going, and McCary agrees their solid work ethic has been paying off, but adds: "But as well, it's all the people behind the scenes. Motown...as well as the press and our fans coming through for us. So let's attribute it to all factors that got us to where we are.
"We attribute our biggest success to our Lord Jesus Christ."
As one might guess, there is a positive approach, whether in song or interview, and McCary doesn't dissapoint when asked what message he'd send out to the youth of America.
"No matter what you do, don't give up. Just keep on going," he advises. "There's going to be a lot of thing that'll try to deter you from getting to your goal.
"If you listen to those things, you never reach it. So never give up."
The group's slick harmonies, matching outfits, and choreographed stepas are the result of te four young men's friendship, team work, and dedication to their craft, something they've been honing since high school. Yes, they've been working together exclusively for a rather long time, but no, familiarity does not necessarilt breed contempt. As McCary explains, it helps overcome potential problems on stage.
"I don't thing there's any dawbacks," he ventures. "The pluses are that you know inside and out what the other person's going to do, even if someone makes a mistake. You can actually cover it for him because you know exactly where they're going to make the mistake and how. It's like knowing yourself."
That doesn't mean they necessarily know their audiences. Even for a proven act like Boyz II Men, there is no formula for success he says.
"We don't know what the public wants," McCary maintains. "If they don't want it, they'll let you know, so we just try to put out good music. We don't go back and say, 'well, this was a good hit, let's duplicate this.'
"We try to do something different every time."