The Weekly Observer (Kampala)
3 December 2008
Every morning the big lime green billboard screams out the coming of Boyz II Men and Joe Thomas.
That excitement of having some of the best voices in the music business come to Uganda, brings back memories of karaoke in high school. How students fought over who had rights to mime Boyz II Men's End of the road.
In some cases, members of one group would also bicker over who got to be Shawn Stockman as he sang the most parts in a song. Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, and Micheal McCary's parts were easy to decide on: roll the die. The vicious cycle of fighting continued when One Sweet Day, On Bended Knee, Four Seasons of Loneliness and Mama hit Ugandan airwaves.
Girls' schools were equally not left out of the frenzy as they went out searching for a masculine look to throw them into character with the songs.
But the funniest memory that eluded all of us during high school was when an innocent girl hit with puppy love received a letter from her boyfriend signed off with 'Deds': I will make Love to You. To think of the dedication that caused sleepless nights for the girl without looking into the meaning of the lyrics!
And now, Boyz II Men, one of the most commercially successful R&B groups of all time, storm Kampala this weekend after a comeback with a stunning new album, Motown: Hitsville USA.
Boyz II Men made it huge in the 90s by pairing up their tight harmonies with more up-to-date rhythmic tracks.
But down the road, the stars were struggling to impress. Motown is the first major-label release in five years for Boyz II Men, who have sold an estimated 60 million recordings in a spectacular 20 year career.
The group has done countless tributes and cover versions recordings but few have displayed the level of vocal artistry or the faithfulness to the sound and spirit of the originals that Boyz II Men capture on Motown.
Working with producer Randy Jackson, Shawn, Wanya, and Nathan bring their special brand of musical magic to 12 all-time Motown hits, including Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me, The Tracks of My Tears, Just My Imagination and the Stevie Wonder favourite I Was Made to Love Her.
"Our approach was not to taint or take away from the integrity of the original records," explains Shawn Stockman on their official website, "but to add a little thing, here or there, and put our Boyz II Men flavour on it...We wanted to pay tribute to an era that had such a major influence on our sound."
The four-time Grammy Award-winning group was originally signed to Motown Records in 1991 and the very first Boyz II Men single, Motownphilly was a tip of the musical hat.
Boyz II Men was formed in 1988 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a quintet. When Marc Nelson left to pursue a solo career, the group carried on as a quartet with Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris (no relation to Nathan).
They will be performing this Saturday courtesy of No End Entertainment at Lugogo Cricket Oval. Tickets cost Shs 30,000, Shs 100,000 and Shs 200,000.
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