(Shawn Stockman, left, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris)Holding three of the biggest singles of all time - "One Sweet Day," which, with Mariah Carey, was No. 1 for 16 weeks in 1995; "I'll Make Love to You," which was No. 1 for 14 weeks in 1994, and "End of the Road," which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1992, for Boyz II Men these days, it's all about the challenge. Is it time to take the word"Boys" our of their group name?
There's a lot more music in us," said Shawn Stockman, calling from his home in Los Angeles. "But when it comes to R&B, we've kind of reached the ceiling."
There's a lot more music in us," said Shawn Stockman, calling from his home in Los Angeles. "But when it comes to R&B, we've kind of reached the ceiling."
And in recent years, the trio (fourth member Michael McCary retired from the group in 2003 because of his ongoing battle with scoliosis) has tried its hand at a variety of projects that stretched its artistic muscles.
However, Stockman said the decision to tackle some of music's best-known hits for Boyz II Men's new album "Motown: Hitsville USA" (Universal) was an easy one because they didn't think it would be too easy.
"We thought it would be more challenging for the group to take on a project like this," he said. "It turned out, though, that the whole experience was off the chain. It just all flowed so smoothly and the energy and the vibe was so great."
It took about an hour for the group - Stockman, and the unrelated Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris - and the record label to decide which songs they would do, including hits from Motown favorites ranging from The Temptations and Marvin Gaye to DeBarge. It took only about six weeks for the group and producer Randy Jackson to complete the album.
And when it was finished, the group realized that the timing may be right for another update of Motown hits. "A lot of kids today don't really have a connection with their past, with history," Stockman said. "They don't know where hip-hop got its identity from. They didn't know that the hip-hop records that sampled these songs weren't the originals."
Boyz II Men was also happy to create something that they liked. "We looked around, and we didn't really have much to buy - albums that folks our age could get into," Stockman said, adding that in putting together its new live show, they have discovered how well their songs fit with Motown classics.
"It means that we really have accomplished something," he said. "People don't lie. You can tell what they think by their reaction. We pride ourselves on knowing that every song we do everyone will have heard of and they get excited about them."
Of course, Boyz II Men are already thinking about what comes next, a project they will begin after their summer tour. "We've been approached to do a country record, and a doo-wop record and a classical record," Stockman said. "We're not sure which one we'll do yet, but it's probably going to be the one that's most challenging to us."
BY NEWSDAY'S GLENN GAMBOA