Watch Boyz II Men performing Better Half live.
How does a group of high school boys working on harmonies after choir class grow into men who shatter billboard records set by Elvis and The Beatles?
“Your guess is as good as mine,” said Shawn Stockman, the vocalist who makes up one third of the best-selling R&B group Boyz II Men.
Stockman and his bandmates, Wayna Morris and Nathan Morris, rose to prominence in the R&B world in the 1990s, when former band member Michael McCary was still in the group. The three have been on their own since 2003 and celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2011 with the album Twenty, which featured what the group is famous for: heartfelt ballads filled with rich-voiced harmonies dancing over a sultry groove.
The trio released a new album in October of last year titled Collide, which was a departure from the usual Boyz II Men sound, Stockman explained. The group didn’t write any of the songs on the new record, but chose songs they enjoyed and wanted to make their own, even if they didn’t fit the usual R&B mold.
“That album, I believe, is a pleasant departure away from what Boyz II Men is expected to do. It’s not the typical R&B ballads,” Stockman said. “A lot of the songs are inspired by ’80s rock and pop with guitars and things of that nature. Our whole thing was about what felt good to us; that’s what it has always been.”
The group will be performing cuts off the new album as well as songs from throughout their decades-long career at the Chumash Casino Resort on Feb. 12. The concert comes just in time for Valentine’s Day, a holiday that celebrates exactly what made Boyz II Men a household name. It’s been the group’s natural knack for capturing the sound and feeling of romance that brought on collaborations with big-name producers and artists like Mariah Carey.
“We love singing about that; we love love songs,” Stockman said. “That’s something that will always be a part of us because that is us; we just try to find different canvases to paint over when it comes to that type of music and do it in different ways.”
Though love songs have been Boyz II Men’s bread and butter, the group isn’t afraid to branch out and try new things. Besides the album Collide, two of the members are now playing instruments when they perform. Stockman picked up the guitar about a year ago and now plays the instrument during sets, including the regular live shows Boyz II Men perform at the Mirage Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, where the band currently enjoys an artistic residency. Nathan Morris also joins in with the bass guitar, Stockman explained.
“It’s the most liberating thing, and it’s been a lot of fun doing that,” he said. “We’ve just been trying to go in a different direction, even after all these years, and not be afraid to learn or try something new.”
Aside from performing regularly in Vegas, the group makes stops throughout the country and internationally, performing for fans across the continents. Wherever they are, including the show at the Chumash Casino, the group aims to give their fans what they love, Stockman said.
“Be sure to warm up your voices and put on your dancing shoes and come to have a good time,” he said. “That’s what we do: We go on stage and have a good time, and we want people to feel the same way.”
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
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This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2015.
