01. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)
02. It’s Same Old Song/Reach Out I’ll Be There
03. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
04. Tracks Of My Tears
05. Money (That’s What I Want)
06. Easy
07. I Was Made To Love Her
08. All This Love
09. Ribbon In The Sky (A Cappella)
10. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
(Feat. Patti LaBelle)
11. There’ll Never Be
12. Got To Be There
13. War
14. End Of The Road (Feat. Brian McKnight)

Three years after the all-covers Throwback -- a release that included some pleasantly surprising choices for new looks, like One Way's "Cutie Pie" and Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do for Love" -- Boyz II Men reappear with yet another covers affair. As indicated by the title, the trio changes its focus to Motown for a set that ranges thematically and chronologically from the Temptations' "Just My Imagination" to Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" to the Commodores' "Easy" -- and, as something of a sly acknowledgment that they were once on Motown themselves, they close out the set with an a cappella version of "End of the Road" (featuring Brian McKnight). Their backing is mostly all-star caliber, including the Dap-Kings Horns, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, percussionist Luis Conte, and string arranger Larry Gold. The material tends to work best when they sound relatively relaxed, as opposed to when it is obvious that they are trying very hard to honor the originals while being over-demonstrative with their obviously gifted voices. It's not that the disc won't please fans, because it likely will, despite Boyz II Men's continued shortage of new songs; but it's nearly impossible at this point to add anything to the likes of "It's the Same Old Song," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," or "Money (That's What I Want)" -- no matter how well they are handled. ---Andy Kellman, Rovi

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1. Motownphilly
2. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday
3. End Of The Road
4. In The Still Of The Nite (I'll Remember)
5. Hey Lover
6. I'll Make Love To You
7. On Bended Knee
8. Water Runs Dry
9. One Sweet Day
10. Doin' Just Fine
11. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness
12. A Song For Mama
13. Pass You By

Boyz II Men:
Michael McCary
Nathan Morris
Shawn Stockman
Wanya Morris
+
Mariah Carey
LL Cool J

Released a decade into Boyz II Men's enormously successful career and a year after another best-of collection, Ballad Collection, Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection puts all the quartet's hits on one disc. Songs like "Motownphilly" and "End of the Road" were phenomenons during their reign atop the Billboard charts, and many of the other songs here were nearly as ubiquitous at various points in the '90s. Boyz II Men's success simmered out a bit toward the latter end of the '90s, but that doesn't mean they weren't performing great songs. Even if singles like "Song for Mama" didn't dominate the airwaves like the group's early-'90s hits, they're still amazing. Not surprisingly, Legacy focuses on Boyz II Men's first two albums -- Cooleyhighharmony and II -- and not so much on Evolution and Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya. Overall, this best-of is a great place to get all of Boyz II Men's hits if you're not one of the millions of people who bought the original LPs. ---Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

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01. Doin’ Just Fine
02. Never
03. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness
04. Girl In The Life Magazine
05. A Song For Mama
06. Can You Stand The Rain
07. Can’t Let Her Go
08. Baby C’mon
09. Come On
10. All Night Long
11. Human II (Don’t Turn Your Back On Me)
12. To The Limit
13. Dear God
14. Just Hold On

Evolution is supposed to capture Boyz II Men in full maturity, but it sounds surprisingly similar to their blockbuster II. Like that album, Evolution relies on ballads, downplaying the group's dance-pop side. There are still several up-tempo numbers on the record, but it's clear that the group and their producers were more concerned with smooth ballads like "4 Seasons of Loneliness" and "A Song for Mama," which they deliver with typical grace. However, Boyz II Men's signature sound is beginning to sound like a formula, especially since the group fails to offer any new twists on their trademark hip-hop doo wop. There's enough strong material on Evolution to satisfy Boyz II Men's large fan base, but they will truly need to evolve on their fourth album in order to stay viable. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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01.I Can’t Make You Love Me 
02.Amazed 
03.Could It Be I’m Falling In Love 
04.If You Leave Me Now 
05.Time After Time 
06.Iris 
07.Cupid 
08.Shining Star 
09.In My Life 
10.Open Arms 
11.When I Fall In Love (Feat.Michael Buble) 
12.Back For Good 
13.Misty Blue (Bonus Track)

The title of Boyz II Men’s third consecutive covers album is only partially indicative. The love songs covered on this disc span several decades and styles, unlike Throwback (‘70s and early-‘80s funk and soul) and Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA (self-explanatory), both of which were more focused thematically. What ties these songs together is that they are love songs, and nothing else. That early-‘60s R&B (Sam Cooke’s “Cupid”), late-‘90s country (Lonestar’s “Amazed”), and early-‘80s rock (Journey’s “Open Arms,” a choice likely influenced by producer Randy Jackson) are all part of the mix only hints at the randomness of the selections. Despite the range of the sources, Boyz II Men tie it all together, nearly to a fault. The group makes the occasional modification to the originals, like the ticking-clock vocal effect on Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”; otherwise, if you know the originals, and you know Boyz II Men, you can play these versions in your head without having heard them. ---Andy Kellman, Rovi

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