II

iTunes Review

Boyz II Men played it smart on their second album, giving their fans more of the vocal magic captured on their enormously-successful first release. II (1994) earned the quartet a series of high-charting singles, including the back-to-back Number One ballads “I’ll Make Love To You” and “On Bended Knee.” It’s easy to see why these tunes became huge hits — the Boyz infuse them with wholesome seductiveness that’s both earthy and impossibly romantic. Even better is “Water Runs Dry,” matching the quartet’s intricate (yet never excessive) harmonies with classically-accented strings. As on their debut album, they also get playful with new jack swing-y things like “Jezebel” and “All Around The World.” With production input by such notables as Babyface and Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis, II allows the old school essence of the group to shine with a minimum of extraneous elements. In fact, one of the album’s standout tracks is a street corner-style rendition of the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” a tune seemingly immune to fresh interpretation, but the group tackles the song as if it were a newly-composed piece, bringing out its elegant heartbreak. Putting taste above trendiness, the Boyz once again proved the appeal of their classy, caressing sound with II.