Word: boyz
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Fortunately, the situation is not quite so dire. The vocal quartet Boyz II Men is living, singing proof that the love song -- like love itself -- will never really disappear. Other performers may grab the headlines and spark debates on the op-ed pages, but by going against the critical tide and recording harmonious ballads, Boyz II Men has won an enormous following. Its 1991 debut album, Cooleyhighharmony, sold 7 million copies, and in 1992 its mournful, melodic single End of the Road stayed at No. 1 on Billboard's charts for 13 weeks, breaking a record set by Elvis Presley...
What's remarkable about Boyz II Men is that its unabashed romanticism never bogs down the members' considerable musical skill. Motown is their label, and with their harmonies and look-alike outfits, they hark back to the classic Motown vocal groups like the Temptations. The Boyz released their debut CD just after the Milli Vanilli lip-synching scandal. It was a cynical time for pop music. Vanilla Ice had a best-selling pseudo-rap album; New Kids on the Block had gone multiplatinum. Were there any real singers left? Was everyone as fake as Rob and Fab's hair extensions...
...shamelessly traditional it's almost radical. While elsewhere in pop, bands like Nine Inch Nails scream such lyrics as "I want to f -- -- -- you like an animal," the Boyz uphold a quaint gentlemanliness. Women aren't objects of lust; they are cherished. "Girl, your wish is my command/ I'll submit to your demands," go the lyrics to I'll Make Love II You. Monogamy is celebrated. "Wanna build a new life," goes On Bended Knee. "Gonna make you my wife/ Raise a family." Boyz II Men has found a niche by seeming to be blissfully unaware of its cultural...
...ballad in the Top 10," says Foster. "People love something with heart." For a while, teens favored the "power ballads" put out by hard-rock bands with gravel-voiced vocalists, but Foster has helped bring back the singing group. All-4-One, Color Me Badd (co-produced by Foster), Boyz II Men and Jodeci are winning fans with street-corner harmonies reminiscent of the '50s and early...
...however: anyone with an interest in hip hop realizes the debt this genre owes to the Beasties. With their debut LP, the smash hit Licensed To Ill, they, along with Rick Rubin, helped introduce heavy metal and other rock influences to rap. (Go listen to the Ghetto Boyz song that samples "Sweet Home Alabama" at half-speed for one of a million examples of how this has spread.) The underappreciated follow-up, Paul's Boutique (my personal favorite Beasties record), was one of the first rap albums to feature crazily layered funk samples and undermixed vocals. Along with...