Customer Reviews

Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Their past outing with Evolution had been somewhat of a disappointment to fans and critics alike, but this album is definitely set to change things. Out are the big-time producers like Jimmy Jam and Babyface, this time the Boyz have gone out on their own and the results are more than remarkable. They have written and produced almost the entire album, a feat that few artists could successully undertake.

With a little latin flavour added into the mix, tracks like "What the Deal" show that these guys really know their music and have taken their material to a new level. Dripping with infectious melodies, the songs "Step on Up", "Beautiful Women" and "Good guy" (sporting a very distinct Jermaine Dupri sound) are examples of how these guys can produce excellent up-tempo tracks that were almost non-existent in their past outing with Evolution. And fans of the trademark Boyz II Men ballads are in for a real mush fest, as they are better than ever. The mellow sounds of "Pass you by" and "Do you remember" are incredibly moving and thought provoking. "Dreams" and "Thank you in Advance" are truelly heartfelt songs that prove that these guys really write and sing with emotion. And yes, you can even feel it with each spine tingling harmony. And to set the record straight, they perform "I do", an acappela track that is a testament to their singing ability and reason for their survival after ten years of being in the music business.

Nathan Micheal Shawn Wanya is an album that should be appreciated for its a depth and variety and although it took three years of waiting, it was well worth the time. This album is evidence that once you've achieved almost everything a musician could dream of, there is still room to grow and produce an even more mature and memorable album. This is for the real music fans out there. Enough of cheesy pop boybands with little or no emotional content in their material. Welcome back Boyz II Men, you've outdone yourselves once again.

Boyz II Men return to the R&B scene after a three year haitus is greatly welcomed. In a throng of male vocal acts who can't decide if they want to be thugs or crooners and equate sex with love, it's nice to hear Boyz II Men on the radio singing with heartfelt emotion. Their new album, "Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wayna," brims with mid-tempo dance treats that don't hide their vocal talents (like on their previous cd Evolution). The ballads, of course, are what they do best. "Lovely," the 12th track on the cd, reminds fans of current R&B that songs about making love do not have to be raunchy (as they proved 9 years ago with the song "Oooh, Ahhh"). Boyz wrote or co-wrote nearly every song on this good and solid album, proving that they have strengths both in front of and behind the microphones.

Many reviewers will say that Boyz II Men's sound has finally grown up, but it was grown already. Their material has always held the balance of being radio friendly and good. The cd packaging, however, tries very hard to shed their old good guy images. Wayna sports corn rows and Shawn gives us a peek at his undies. Perhaps this is what is needed to sell records in the R&B market today. The fellas even allude to it in the aptly titled track "Good Guy." "I try to be the good guy; You take me for granted; Rather have a man that will tell you lies; Tell me why, tell me why I should be the good guy and get left for the man that don't treat you right; There's nothing good in being good guys; Tell me why..."

I'll tell them why. Because in the year 2000, R&B needs the good guys again.

After countless hits like End Of The Road, Please Dont Go, On Bended Knees, I'll Make Love To You, Water Run Dry, Song For Momma .. Four albums including their christmas CD.. They return with their 5th CD on a new label.. After their last effort Evolution was overlook not promoted right.. They return with their first album in three years.. What stays in tact is that silky, smooth harmonzing that still sounds great.. This time around on this CD majority of the tracks on this album was produced by Boyz II Men with little help from the hitmaking writers She'kspere and Kandi Burrus who are responsible for some of the biggest hits today for people Destiny's Child, Joe, countless others.. The 14 track CD is evenly balanced with uptempo tunes, midtempo tunes, ballads.. The CD starts great with Beautiful Women.. A great tribute to the beautiful women of the world this song moves along to an acoustic-spanish guitar and latin beat .

Step on Up is a party tune that deals with just wanting to get away somewhere to just have a good time after dealing with the pressures of every day life.. I am sure every one can relate to this song

Bounce, Shake, Move, Swing is another party track that should get some play in the clubs

These cuts are certainly worth checking out of the uptempo songs.. But the best moments on this CD is the ballads.. The ballads sound great among the best of the ballads

Lovely, Thank You In Advance, the beautiful written Dreams, Pass You By.. This is an excellent CD i highly recommended it for all music lovers and certainly if you are a real Boyz II Men fan you have to pick this up .. You will not be disappointed

The latest from the pioneer "boy band" of the early 90's is a hodgepodge of old and new Boyz II Men with a little "craziness" thrown in for good measure. Unlike anything else that they have done, this album, for want of a better word, is simply MAGNIFICENT.

Kicking off with the Latin-Caribbean influenced "Beautiful Women," the disc goes uphill from there. The dance floor should be smoking with "Step On Up," cut number two. The female background provides a soothing echo to the superb harmonies of the group. "Bounce, Shake, Move, Swing" is another "foot-shaker" that allows the guys to "go a little wild," while "I Do" is signature Boyz II Men.

But the "topper" is "Never Go Away," with a Boys II Men meets The O'Jays flavor. This is one is that separates those other "boys" from these MEN.

This album has been a long time coming. I can not tell you how many times over the last few years I have sat with a friend flipping through the radio stations innundated with moaning, screcching, cursing, anything but singing groups and said "Boyz II Men had better hurry up and come back out before I go crazy, because these fools can't sing." Finally the time has come, Boyz II Men has released the long awaited album and sure enough... they still take my breath away with their vocals. From the first song I listened to on the ablum, I was reminded of what most so called singing groups are missing these days...

1)Vocal control

Some folks think that bravado is a toy. They will sing a note for ten minutes, just to show that they can and it is just plain annoying and does not show an extraordinary talent, but rather a lack of vocal control. I was so happy to hear Wanya in "Dreams" exhibit the vocal control I speak of. We all know he could go on and on with a note...but why do it?

2) A True Bass Thank you Michael, you must have read my mind. Too many of the male "vocal" groups are out here with no true bass! There is no support in the group, if you will. I can always hear Michael, strong and steady providing the foundation for the layer of vocals. Heard it expressly in "Lovely".

3) A decent falsetto Back in the day, it used to be that you could not have a male group without someone who could take it up. I realized just how beautiful Shawn's falsetto is in his solo hit years ago, but it is still breathtakingly present on the current album.

4) A versatile voice

A true singer has a range. A true singer can sing beyond three octaves. Case in point, Nate. I can't categorize him. Most likely I would say he is a tenor, but his vocals are so versatile. He can sing bass as well, and sometimes he hits some notes that I would think only Shawn should be hitting... That's a singer.

5)Harmony

I have watched some groups (won't name names) who call themselves harmonizing and they are all singing in the same key OR I can literally see them trying to find their part because they are trying so hard. Boyz II Men harmonizes effortlessly. That is experience, that is talent.

As for the content of the album. I have enjoyed the majority of it. I do not tend to like uptempo music so I do not have a strong opinion of the early portion of the disc. However I must give credit where credit is due. "Bounce Shake Move Swing" is definetly a risky song for any group to do, and even more so for a group whose legacy is built on "Baby please take me back" type ballads. The song is strong, it has a great groove, it is not over produced, and the lyrics are clean. Thumbs up for a great dance hit. The ballads are not formulaic, and while the touch of Babyface is clearly absent, I am glad it is gone. I think Face has written the same song about 500 times now, and the Boyz wisely moved past the monotony and came with some fresh midtempo ballads. "Dreams" is the biggest winner on this album, following closely behind is "Pass you by".

This album is a great buy for those who had given up hope on modern day R&B music. I have built my music collection around albums that I know I will listen to forever and play for my children while they are growing up so that they will know true music. My parents played EWF, Stevie Wonder, Jonathan Butler, Anita Baker, Gershwin, and Brahms. I will play for my children Steven Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sting, Joe Sample, Nelson Rangell, Najee, and BOYZ II MEN.

Finally, a group who can really sing! Boyz II Men have set yet another standard for R & B groups to aspire to. This is by far, the best R & B album to hit the scene in years and it totally obliterates any so called competition. The Boyz know how to perform and make you believe what they're saying. They have real lyrics, real melodies and best of all, real talent. Wanya and Shawn have grown as vocalists (amazing) and Nathan and Michael show why this is a group & not a bunch of solo artists waiting for an opportunity. Nobody harmonizes like these men. No one blends melodic notes with such sensuality and sincerity as these men. This CD is a must for any true R & B fan. If you're not in love already, this CD will inspire you to fall in love, not in "lust". Thank God Boyz II Men have declared, loud and clear, "Real Music Is Back!!!".

I HAVE EVERY SINGLE BOYZ II MEN CD TO COME OUT SINCE 91`.
BUT THIS WAS THE LAST ONE I BOUGHT JUST BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT.WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CD IN EARLY 2006 SIX YEARS AFTER IT'S RELEASE.I WAS MAD I DID NOT BUY IT ON IT'S ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE.THAT IS HOW GREAT THE SONG'S ARE ON THIS CD.
THIS CD IS PERFECT FROM TOP 2 BOTTOM;YOU WILL NOTICE THIS ON YOUR FIRST LISTEN OF THIS CD.ALL THE SONG'S FLOW TOGETHER WITH PERFECTION.THE COMBINATION OF THERE VOICES ON THIS CD SOUNDS BETTER THEN ALL OF THERE PREVIOUS ALBUMS.
THIS CD HAS PERFECT BEATS THE BASS IS CRISP,TIGHT & CLEAR;THE HIGHS MAKE YOUR TWEETERS SCREAM;AND THE MID~RANGE MAKES YOU NOT EVEN WANT A EQUALIZER.
JUST PLAIN AND SIMPLE THIS BOYZ II MEN CD IS FANTASTIC.IF YOU PICK IT UP IT WILL BE A LONG TIME BEFORE YOU TAKE IT OUT OF YOUR CD PLAYER.
BOYZ II MEN WAS ONE OF THE BEST R&B GROUP'S TO COME OUT OF THE 90'S.THEY GIVE 100% TO ALL OF THERE CD'S AND THE PROOF IS HERE!!
{ROME,NEW YORK}/HOME OF WOODSTOCK 1999/

I love this album! My girl hates it, 'cause I simply overplayed it (sorry for that). The original BIIM harmony (bringing back the cooleyhighharmony days) make this album so unique! It's so much better than "Full circle", which I personally didn't like at all! This album wasn't as successful as II and Evolution, simply because it's not as commercial as these previous releases. Further, promotion for this cd was close to zero. If you like the Boyz you should have all of their albums up to this release. Peace out!

THIS ALBUM WON'T PRODUCE A SINGLE RADIO FRIENDLY HIT, WHICH CONSEQUENTLY WON'T CAUSE MILLIONS OF SCREAMING TEENAGERS TO RUN TO THE NEAREST VIRGIN MEGASTORE. NO MATTER, THEY WERE BLESSED WITH THE GIFT OF SOULFUL VOICES, AND AS LONG AS IT COMES FROM THE HEART, THEY COULDN'T GO WRONG. I LISTENED TO THE SONG "DREAMS" AND MEMORIES OF "ON BENDED KNEE" ROSE UP INSIDE ME. THEY ARE TRUE ARTISTS. TOO MANY ARTISTS ARE PROCESSED THESE DAYS. YET, IF YOU TAKE OFF ALL THE DESIGNER CLOTHES, MAKE OVERS, DIGITAL STUDIO QUALITY RECORDINGS, THE AUDIENCE IS LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT A FACELESS GROUP WITH NOTHING BUT THEIR VOICE AND HEART TO EXPRESS IT. IN WHAT SEEMS LIKE THE YEAR OF DANCEABLE UPBEAT MUSIC THAT STICK IN YOUR HEADS FOR WEEKS IT'S NICE TO HEAR ONCE AGAIN A SMOOTH SOULFULL TONE OF BALLADS THAT RELAXES AND AWAKENS EVERY INCH OF YOUR BODY FROM ONE OF THE FEW GROUPS THAT COULD PULL IT OFF.

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I first bought this album. I bought it on the premise that their last albums were very good. I was not disappointed. The jams to look out for are: Dreams, I Do, Thank You In Advance, Beautiful Women and a couple more. Thank You In Advance is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Its about meeting someone you are destined to marry, have children with, and spending the rest of your life with. Touching! Buy the album, you won't be disappointed.