mixtape maestro (2.0)

Following 2004’s Throwback, Vol. 1 and 2007’s Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, ’90’s chart-stompers-turned-oldies-focused-man band Boyz II Men are preparing to release yet another all-covers set with their upcoming Love, and even if you haven’t really cared about a Boyz II Men record in over a decade, there might be at least one or two of the album’s proposed remakes to muster up at least a slight intrigue (come on, somebody yearns to hear their expertly harmonized, adult-soul polish on Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris”, right?).

For us, we were most curious in hearing the Boyz take on Take That’s sole US hit “Back For Good” (also known as one of the most perfect-est pop songs ever!!)…and whaddyaknow, just like that, the track would pop up on the Webs in leaked form. Guess we should point our curiosity more in the matter of “Wonder what it would feel like to have a million dollars?”. Couldn’t hurt right?

But back to the BIIM record.

Unsurprisingly, it sounds just as we kinda imagined it would, with remaining members Nathan, Shawn and Wanya (and featured Girls Aloud vocalist Nadina Coyle) committing a safe and solid reading of the decade-and-some-change boy band favorite that won’t really blow your mind to a million of pieces as much as it acts as a melisma-heavy blanket of adult contemporary comfort for the aural cavities.

A nice backdrop for one of those quiet, “ruminating about life” rainy day periods.

Love drops November 17th.

DL: “Back For Good (Take That Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, boy band, boyz II men, cover song, girls aloud, nadine coyle, take that, uk pop

The current season of MTV’s increasingly soapy Making The Band has been a depressing one to watch: Danity Kane’s future feels bleak now that the quintet has been reduced to a duo; Donnie’s career seems to has ended before it even began once the public realized it didn’t need another Justin Timberlake; and show focal point, R&B boy band 112 2.0 Day26, seem to spend more time bickering than they do recording their sophomore album. All that, plus the show’s oft-overlooked reality of the music industry’s current, crumbling status, makes one wonder why Diddy hasn’t completely pulled the plug on the project (it’s doubtful that all this drama could inspire an amazing musical renaissance for the Bad Boy label).

But staying in line with the chant that their CEO has (annoyingly) repeated so many times over the years (“I thought I told you that we won’t stop”), Day26 seems to have put all the in-fighting aside and turned their attention back onto their career, this time planting their focus on dominating the club realm with Forever In A Day lead-off single, “Imma Put It On Her”.

The Southern-fried banger is arguably their best record yet, but little of it’s appeal has to do with the sleepy rap cameos from featured guests Yung Joc and Diddy (whose corny, Ciroc-laced sixteen was hopefully not ghostwritten) or the predictable R&B loverman lyrics about panty-less dimepieces hypnotizing male watchers on the dance floor.

No, the track’s main pull is it’s stimulating background going-ons: a pummeling drum beat, screwed echoes of the title, and the faint flicker of rock guitar hiding behind monstrous slabs of synth that make the song sound like it’s floating by in slow motion. If the production behind Usher’s “Love In The Club” could give birth to a child, this would be it’s offspring.

Forever In A Day drops April 14th.

Uncategorized boy band, day26, diddy, sex jam, southern rap, yung joc