Throwback

Boyz II Men: Shawn Stockman (vocals, various instruments); Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris (vocals).
Additional personnel include: MC Lyte (rap vocals).
Recording information: A.T.O.J. Philadelphia, PA; Hole In Da Wall, Philadelphia, PA.
Record-setting R&B vocal group Boyz II Men have never been averse to covers, having scored mega-hits in the early-1990s with both the Five Satins doo-wop classic "In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)" and the G.C. Cameron classic "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." On 2004's THROWBACK, the group tries its hand at an assortment of vintage R&B tunes and succeeds with an array of fine melodies.
THROWBACK is the outfit's first release after the departure of Michael McCary, but the trio's vocal harmonies are as tight and alluring as ever. In fact, it's when the harmonies take center stage that the album is at its most appealing. The group reinterprets Michael Jackson's gorgeous ballad "Human Nature," accompanied by only a few African drums and a light acoustic guitar, as their voices examine the subtle beauty of the song. The ensemble finds an entirely new angle to Hall & Oates's "Sara Smile," but Teddy Pendergrass's sensual "Close the Door" is rendered faithful to the original. Although the boys aren't the superstars they were in the '90s, THROWBACK proves they still know their way around a good song.