The Bottom Line
- Sometimes fine a cappella singing.
- The nostalgia factor.
- Bland production.
- Lack of emoting.
- Uninspired singing.
Description
- Motown cover songs.
- Corny, lukewarm schlock.
- Produced by Randy Jackson.
Guide Review - Boyz II Men - "Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA"
Not only is the singing halfhearted (one strong exception to this is their version of Edwin Starr's "War" and an a cappella version of one of their own hits, "End of the Road"), but the production so bland and homogenized, the album sounds like a theme episode of "American Idol." And with good reason, too: Hitsville USA was entirely produced by "American Idol" pseudo-hipster Randy Jackson. Jackson's done the incredible here: he took one of R&B and pop's most beloved and respected groups, paired them with some of R&B and Soul music's best-known and well-loved classics, and managed to make an album that's barely worth even bothering to listen to.
Particularly disappointing are the Boyz' renditions of Marvin Gaye's environmental song "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," and of one of Stevie Wonder's greatest songs, "I Was Made to Love Her." The vintage versions of these two songs were powerful enough to create an indelible imprint in the psyche of the music world as a whole. But the remakes that can be found here are corny, lukewarm schlock that do a grave disservice to the writers and performers of the heartfelt, emotion-filled original versions.
