Boyz II Men are R&B to the core, but their first album in over a decade is set to be a full-on detour from what longtime fans expect. The group has signed with Warner Records Nashville and informed The Tennessean that they’ll release a country album in 2027.
The untitled album is the first for the trio since 2017’s doo-wop tinged “Under The Streetlight” and while the group has long been enamored with country music, even performing at the Grand Ole Opry, the group says now is the best time to “dip our toes” into a new creative venture.
“We love the genre so much, and at this point in our career we felt like it was the perfect time to dip our toes,” Shawn Stockman told The Tennessean. “We’ve always been enamored with the storytelling component of country music and how they actually put those stories to melody. Again, it was a learning experience. That is what we like. We have been in this business for three decades, but we’ll forever be students of music and we’ll always be open to learn and to appreciate different styles.”
For Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris, the branch off into country music makes sense given that country ballads don’t differ that much from R&B ballads and both genres have strong similatiries.
“We’ve reached our tentacles out over many years and dabbled in other types of music, but R&B is the root of who we are,” Nathan said. “And I think that’s why it’s so easy for us to fall in love with country music because the melodies are similar. The meanings are similar. The feelings are similar. So, it’s almost like we feel at home doing it.”
Wanya added, “We don’t want to become country. We want to be a part of it.”
Since their founding 1985, Boyz II Men has evolved from being one of the neophytes of New Jack Swing with “Motownphilly” to record-breaking balladers. Their 1994 album, “II” remains one of the highest selling albums by an R&B group with over 12 million copies sold. Their 15-album catalog features several top ten and No. 1 hits, including “End of the Road,” “On Bended Knee,” “Water Runs Dry,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “4 Seasons of Loneliness” and more.
The group went from a quartet to a trio in 2003 when Michael McCary left due to health issues and tensions with other group members, culminating in a fight.
Despite decades of success, the trio believe now was the time to broaden their musical horizons for a new audience.
“It’s the same music, almost just doing it for a different group of people. That’s all. And for us, it’s open for everyone to be a part of it,” Nathan said. “It’s just something that we felt that this is just the time to do. It’s organic. It feels good.”
Boyz II Men are the latest in a long line of R&B acts to try their hand at country. In recent years, Beyoncé famously did it for her “Cowboy Carter” album in 2024, as did K. Michelle, who released “Jesus & Whiskey” earlier this month. Other notable releases from Black artists who broke out in R&B but also released country albums include Ray Charles and Tina Turner, to name a few.
Source: theGrio
