| This Week's Highlights |
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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Grammy winners struggle…most of the time. Now that the boys (sorry boyz) really have become men, and you can’t get into the charts with your own songs, what do you do? Record a covers album, a second one at that. Their first was the totally pointless Full Circle in 2002. This Grammy-winning trio, (apparently set to become a quartet again) have scoured the music planet for well known ballads. The tracklisting, it has to be said, is pretty tasty, but can the men really handle these songs? We all know few cover versions ever work as well as the originals. So, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Wayne Morris from Philadelphia roll the dice and try their luck, putting their ‘commercial’ reputation on the line. They like the songs, but do the songs like them? For the record, the R&B cum Soulsters are the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time (surprised?), based on 60 million sales, including 8 platinum singles in the USA (wow!), with only Elvis and Jacko boasting more. Back in the mid -90s, they did some magical things on their mega-hits End Of The Road, I’ll Make Love To You, On Bended Knee and blockbuster single One Sweet Day with Mariah Carey staying at a record-breaking 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Yet remarkably, they remain ‘faceless’ (if one passed you in the road you wouldn’t know it) and have had little artistic influence (well, with the exception of All-4-One maybe) over the past 20 years. From the original five starting out as Unique Attraction – Nathan Morris, Marc Nelson, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary, only three remain – Nathan, Shawn and Wanya.
In fairness, these guys have a great ‘collective voice’, as they span multiple genres. Their justification for doing Love is as follows. Shawn says,” We remember how these songs made us feel when we first heard them, and we wanted to relive that experience by rerecording them now in our own way.” Ok, fair enough. Wanya said,” We love the lyrics to all of the tracks, as they’ve each had a huge emotional impact on so many people including us.” Fair enough, again. Now down to business, track by track. Take That’s Back For Good is very disappointing, basically due to the sub-standard arrangement, though they fare better on the Detroit Spinners’ Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, which sounds… just like the original. Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now is too, er, karaoke. One of the greatest love ballads EVER, Amazed by American soft-rockers Lonestar is stunning but I Can’t Make You Love Me is pure saccharine. Eventually, they do a dazzling Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) that shows off their immaculate vocals, with a stunning and unique arrangement. This is the first song, so far, that really suits them, and surprisingly, they make a fist of it on (the brilliant) Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, but once again it’s tragic ‘karaoke time’ on Sam Cooke’s Cupid. Shining Star by The Manhattans (1980) is a direct copy and more like their territory. I won’t even mention the Beatles’ In My Life! Aghhh. Trying to match Journey’s Steve Perry’s unbelievable vocals on Open Arms was always going to a big no no. And… it’s a no no. Nat King Cole’s When I Fall In Love is, well, interesting. Michael Buble guests, adding a touch of schmaltz. On Dorothy Moore’s masterpiece Misty Blue, Boyz II Men (at last) come into their own – this is fabulous actually, but much too late. The verdict – Prefer the originals.
Weblink: Boyz II Men.com
The full list of tracks included are :
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
