Boyz II Men try to lift lost art of songwriting
When Boyz II Men set out to record its latest CD, all it had to do for
direction was take a look at what was happening in R&B and pop music. The
group knew there was only one option, and that was to uplift a lost craft:
the art of songwriting.
On "Motown — A Journey Through Hitsville USA," Boyz II Men revisits classics
from the storied Motown label, such as "The Tracks of My Tears," "Ribbon in
the Sky," "Got to Be There," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (featuring
Patti LaBelle) and its own "End of the Road," sung a cappella with Brian
McKnight.
Boyz II Men's Nate Morris says that when he, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris
were very young, those songs were among the ones they "sang in our bedrooms,
in our Underoos, for years."
But future generations may not be able to do the same thing with today's
songs, thanks to lackluster writing.
"Without a doubt, there's no thought put into it," Morris says. "Whatever's
trendy is what people will write down. There's no deep thinking when it comes
to really trying to pull a concept out of a song, and it's a shame."
Morris, who credits Mary J. Blige, Beyonce' and Ne-Yo with keeping alive good
songwriting, says some others "just don't get it, and I don't fault them.
They don't know music and can only write what they know."
As a result of the industry's state of "turmoil" when it comes to
understanding good traditional music, Boyz II Men have come to the rescue.
"We decided to open the window and show the younger generation where the
groove and the music and the lyrics come from," Morris says.
Morris had more to say about Boyz II Men, including the song the group didn't
want to record, its many trips to St. Louis, and more.
Q. Why did the group redo "End of the Road"?
A. The label picked that one. Their whole deal was how can you do a list of
Motown classics and not do that one? That may be the biggest recording in
Motown history. We wanted to do it differently from how we're known to do it,
and bring on someone else. And Brian is close to us when it comes to music.
Q. Which song presented the biggest challenge?
A. Probably "War" (by Edwin Starr), because when he wrote the song, it wasn't
meant to be sung. It was meant to express what he felt at the time, and a lot
of the stuff, he didn't really sing. I don't say that in a bad way. He yelled
out what he felt. We weren't sure if we should yell, or find the melody and
sing it.
Q. It's amazing Boyz II Men and Patti LaBelle (both Philly soul natives)
never recorded together until now. Why was that, and what was it like
recording with her?
A. When the age and genre difference varies, it's tough to collaborate on the
right song. This is one of those songs that works. It was cool. We weren't in
the same place at the same time, but I was there. I recorded her vocals. It
was intimidating, telling her she had to sing it over and over until she got
it right. But she killed it.
Q. Was there a Boyz II Men hit the group didn't want to record?
A. "I'll Make Love to You." We had just come off "End of the Road" and made
history. Everyone in the world was singing it. When we heard the melody and
vibe (of "I'll Make Love to You"), we thought it was very similar to "End of
the Road." We didn't want our audience to think we were pulling a fast one.
Q. What do Boyz II Men have in line for the next CD?
A. We're talking about it now. At the end of the day, we won't conform. We'll
go and record Boyz II Men stuff. Don't expect anything different from what we
do. It won't be all those crazy beats and other stuff. We love women, and
we'll sing love songs.
Q. It seems every time we turn around, there's a Boyz II Men St. Louis show.
What's up with that?
A. One thing with us is we go where the love is, and St. Louis has always
been one of those cities. No one wants to go where people don't want to hear
you. So we can't disappoint.
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