Boyz II Men & Eric Benet coming to Bass Hall on July 1

by PegNews wire

A pair of R&B powerhouses, Boyz II Men and Eric Benet, come to Bass Performance Hall on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at 8 p.m.

With more than 60 million albums sold, a trail of No. 1 hit singles and four Grammy® wins, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time, according to the RIAA. Over the course of a career that has now spanned nearly two decades, they have recorded some of the most memorable songs in R&B. Among them: “I’ll Make Love to You,” “End of the Road,” “Motownphilly,” “One Sweet Day” and “On Bended Knee.”

In the 1990s, the Philadelphia-based group helped popularize the “New Jack Swing” genre – a style of music that mixed classic R&B with hip-hop.

But for their latest release, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris (fourth member Michael McCary left the band in 2003 after developing scoliosis) stripped their music to the bare bones. Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville U.S.A. is just that: the trio’s tribute to Motown greats. On it, they cover Motown classics such as Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears,” The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” and Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”

Instead of laying on the synthesizers and relying on other studio tricks, producer Randy Jackson of American Idol fame hired a “house band” to back the Boyz, giving the songs a warm feel that harkens back to the originals. “Everything on this record was recorded with live instrumentation,” Wanya Morris says. “Working with Randy Jackson, we were able to capture the feel, the vibe, and the energy of these classic songs.”

“Our approach was not to taint or take away from the integrity of the original records,” Stockman says. “But to add a little thing, here or there, and put our Boyz II Men flavor on it. We wanted to pay tribute to an era that had such a major influence on our sound.”

Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville U.S.A. was nominated in 2008 for two Grammys – for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the trio’s version of Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbons in the Sky.” More recently, the Boyz appeared on Dancing with the Stars and A&E’s Private Sessions.

The Boyz’ special guest, Eric Benet, is also a Grammy-nominated artist whose music owes as much to the past as it does the present. His style combines traditional soul music with contemporary hip-hop and R&B. His latest record, last year’s Love & Life, garnered two Grammy nominations. Benet (who was once married to actress Halle Berry) released his debut album, True to Myself, in 1996. Three years later came his album, A Day in the Life, which spawned the single, Spend My Life With You; the chart-topping hit received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.

To charge tickets by phone, call (817) 212-4280 in Fort Worth; 1-877-212-4280 (toll free) outside Fort Worth; or order online at www.basshall.com . Tickets are also available at the Bass Performance Hall ticket office at 525 Commerce Street. Ticket office hours: Tuesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Source: Bass Performance Hall