II (1994)

II is the third studio album by American R&B quartet Boyz II Men, released on August 30, 1994, on Motown Records. Motown assembled a broader production team than for their debut, Cooleyhighharmony (1991), bringing in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tim & Bob, Tony Rich, Brian McKnight, and Babyface alongside previous collaborators Dallas Austin, Troy Taylor and Charles Farrar. Boyz II Men themselves also received songwriting credits on most of the album's tracks, with the members contributing to the songs to varying degrees, and served as producers on several tracks.

Critics widely praised II as a polished and more sophisticated follow-up to Cooleyhighharmony, highlighting Boyz II Men's vocals, mature romantic themes, and the album's lush production. II became the inaugural winner of the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, first presented at the 37th Grammy Awards in 1995. Commercially, II surpassed its predecessor, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 350,000 first-week sales, while eventually selling 8.6 million copies in the US and receiving a 12-times-platinum RIAA certification; internationally, it also earned additional multi-platinum, platinum, and gold certifications.

II was promoted by a series of successful singles, led by "I'll Make Love to You," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks. It was succeeded at the top by "On Bended Knee," making Boyz II Men only the third act after Elvis Presley and The Beatles to replace themselves at number one, while "Water Runs Dry," "Thank You," and "Vibin'" peaked at numbers two, 21, and 52, respectively. In 2020, the album was ranked number 495 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Background

In 1991, Boyz II Men released their debut studio album, Cooleyhighharmony, which established the group as one of the leading acts in contemporary R&B through its blend of new jack swing, soul, doo-wop, and intricate vocal harmonies. The album became a major commercial success, peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with US sales approaching seven million copies. It also ranked among the year's best-selling albums, reaching number 12 on the 1992 Billboard 200 year-end chart and number 10 on the year-end Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Its 1992 reissue, particularly the international breakthrough of their single "End of the Road," propelled the group to global prominence and set high expectations for their follow-up. Before beginning work on their second studio album, Boyz II Men recorded the Christmas album Christmas Interpretations, released in October 1993. Combining original songs with traditional Christmas material, the album sold 1,767,000 copies in the United States by December 2012.

While production on Cooleyhighharmony had been largely overseen by Dallas Austin, with additional work from Troy Taylor and Charles Farrar of The Characters, Motown aexpanded the production team for II, with Boyz II Men themselves contributing as producers alongside Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Bob Robinson and Tim Kelley from duo Tim & Bob, Tony Rich, Brian McKnight, and Babyface. According to producer Bob Robinson, he and Tim Kelley were initially asked by Boyz II Men to produce much of the album. However, Motown president Jheryl Busby was reportedly reluctant to entrust the group's follow-up to two relatively unknown producers, given Boyz II Men's status as one of the label's biggest acts. Busby subsequently brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Babyface, whose contributions became central to the album's polished sound. More than 20 songs were recorded for II, although most were ultimately omitted from the final track listing. Two songs produced by Tim & Bob, "Now That We're Done" and "Can I Touch You", were later recorded by 112 for their 1996 self-titled debut. The spoken interlude "Khalil (Interlude)" pays tribute to the group's road manager, Roderick "Khalil" Rountree, who was shot and killed in Chicago in May 1992 while Boyz II Men were opening for MC Hammer's Too Legit to Quit World Tour.