Evolution (Boyz II Men album)

Evolution
Studio album by Boyz II Men
Released September 23, 1997
Recorded 1997
Genre R&B, pop, hip hop soul, soul
Length 61:48
Label Motown
Producer Boyz II Men, Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Keith Crouch, Shawn Stockman
Boyz II Men chronology
The Remix Collection
(1995)		 Evolution
(1997)		 The Ballad Collection
(2000)
Singles from Evolution
  1. "4 Seasons of Loneliness"
    Released: September 9, 1997
  2. "A Song for Mama"
    Released: November 25, 1997
  3. "Can't Let Her Go"
    Released: March 20, 1998
  4. "Doin' Just Fine"
    Released: July 28, 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[2]
Robert Christgau[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Evolution is the third album by R&B group Boyz II Men, released in September 1997. It is their final album released on Motown Records. A Spanish language version, Evolución, was also issued. The Spanish edition won the Billboard Latin Music Award for Pop Album of the Year by a New Artist.[5]

History

On August 20, 1997, Boyz II Men held a press conference to talk about their first album since 1994's II. They were under pressure with their last two albums cumulatively selling almost 30 million copies worldwide. With Evolution, they worked with their regular collaborators, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Babyface. They appeared on many talk shows including The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Vibe Show, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show and MTV Live.

The album was released on September 23, and that night, Boyz II Men signed copies of the album at the Virgin Megastore in New York City. Evolution debuted at #1 in the Billboard 200 with 215,000 copies sold in its first week of release. The album also debuted at #1 on the R&B Album Charts. However, the album spent only one week at the #1 spot and quickly fell down the charts. Evolution sold two million copies in the United States and over four million copies worldwide, a disappointment compared with the successes of Cooleyhighharmony and II. Evolution was not received well by critics. In October 1998, Boyz II Men went to Japan and Europe to promote the album, and during that year they embarked on the Evolution Tour.

Singles

The first single released from the album, "4 Seasons of Loneliness", was released in August 1997. The song was Boyz II Men's highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles. It debuted at #2, behind Mariah Carey's "Honey". The following week, the single went to #1, became their fourth (and fifth overall) and last chart-topper to date. 4 Seasons of Loneliness became Boyz II Men's sixth platinum single. Later that year, the second single, "A Song for Mama", was released, a track which already appeared on the Soul Food soundtrack The single reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B Singles Chart, making Boyz II Men the only group in history to have seven platinum singles in the United States.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Doin' Just Fine"  Shawn StockmanStockman 5:30
2. "Never"  Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Stockman, Wanya MorrisBabyface 4:48
3. "4 Seasons of Loneliness"  James Harris III, Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis 4:52
4. "Girl in the Life Magazine"  Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsBabyface 3:29
5. "A Song for Mama"  Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsBabyface 5:02
6. "Can You Stand the Rain"  James Harris III, Terry LewisBoyz II Men 4:02
7. "Can't Let Her Go"  Sean Combs, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris, Gregory Johnson, Larry BlackmonSean "Puffy" Combs, Ron Lawrence, Stevie J 4:30
8. "Baby C'mon"  Keith Crouch, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. MorrisKeith Crouch 4:36
9. "Come On"  Sean Combs, Jeffrey Walker, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris, Chad Elliott, Melissa Elliott, George Pearson, Gordon SumnerSean "Puffy" Combs, J-Dub 5:01
10. "All Night Long"  John "Jubu" Smith, Keith Crouch, McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, W. MorrisKeith Crouch 5:15
11. "Human II (Don't Turn Your Back on Me)"  Harris III, Lewis, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. MorrisJam and Lewis 4:43
12. "To the Limit"  Walker, McCary, N. Morris, Sean Combs, Stockman, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, W. Morris, Bobby Caldwell, Alfons KettnerSean "Puffy" Combs, J-Dub, Stevie J. 5:02
13. "Dear God"  Durrel Bottoms, Jamar Jones, McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, Todd Huston, Vivian S. Green, W. Morris, Richard SmallwoodBoyz II Men, Durrel Bottoms 4:58

Spanish version

  1. "4 Estaciones De Soledad (4 Seasons of Loneliness)"
  2. "A Mi Me Va Bien (Doin' Just Fine)"
  3. "Te Doy Mi Amor (I Can Love You)"
  4. "La Chica De La Revista (Girl in the Life Magazine)"
  5. "Una Canción Para Mamá (A Song for Mama)"
  6. "Yo Te Voy a Amar (I'll Make Love to You)"
  7. "No Dejemos Que Muera el Amor (Water Runs Dry)"
  8. "Me Rindo Ante Ti (On Bended Knee)"
  9. "Yesterday (Spanish Version)"
  10. "Al Final Del Camino (End of the Road)"

Chart positions

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 6
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart 45
Canadian Albums Chart 2
Dutch Albums Chart 7
European Albums Chart[6] 18
French Albums Chart 7
German Albums Chart 8
Japanese Albums Chart[7] 8
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 6
Swedish Albums Chart 25
Swiss Albums Chart 20
UK Albums Chart 12
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums (Spanish version: Evolucion) 13
Zimbabwe Albums Chart[8] 10

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[9] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[10] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[11] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[12] 2× Platinum 400,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Singles

Year Song[15] Hot R&B Singles U.S. Hot 100
1997 "4 Seasons of Loneliness" 2 1
"A Song for Mama" 1 7

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r315633
  2. ↑ Helligar, Jeremy (1997-09-26). "Evolution Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Boyz II Men". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  4. ↑ Hardy, Ernest (1997-10-10). "Boyz II Men: Evolution : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  5. ↑ Lannert, John (April 18, 1998). "Latino Artists Honored With Billboard Awards". Billboard. 110 (16): 77. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ http://books.google.ca/books?id=0wkEAAAAMBAJ&lr=&rview=1|title=Hits of the World - Eurochart|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|date=25 October 1997|accessdate=25 July 2012
  7. ↑ ボーイズ・ＩＩ・メンのCDアルバムランキング │オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE
  8. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  9. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong.
  12. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012. Select 1998年月 on the drop-down menu
  13. ↑ "British album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Enter Evolution in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  14. ↑ "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  15. ↑ "Artist Single Chart History - Boyz II Men". Billboard.com. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
Preceded by
Butterfly by Mariah Carey		 Billboard 200 number-one album
October 11–17, 1997 		Succeeded by
You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs by
LeAnn Rimes
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