Evolution (Boyz II Men album)

Evolution is the fourth studio album by American R&B quartet Boyz II Men, released in September 1997. It is their final album released on Motown Records. A Spanish language version, Evolución, was also issued. The Spanish edition won the Billboard Latin Music Award for Pop Album of the Year by a New Artist.[5]

Evolution
Studio album by
Boyz II Men
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1997
Recorded1996–1997
GenreR&B, soul, pop, hip hop soul
Length61:48
LabelMotown
ProducerBoyz II Men, Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Keith Crouch, Shawn Stockman
Boyz II Men chronology
The Remix Collection
(1995)		 Evolution
(1997)		 The Ballad Collection
(2000)
Singles from Evolution
  1. "4 Seasons of Loneliness"
    Released: August 19, 1997
  2. "A Song for Mama"
    Released: November 25, 1997
  3. "Can't Let Her Go"
    Released: March 20, 1998
  4. "Doin' Just Fine"
    Released: July 28, 1998
Evolución
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[2]
Robert Christgau[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

History

On August 20, 1997, Boyz II Men held a press conference to talk about their first album since 1994's II. They were under pressure with their last two albums cumulatively selling almost 30 million copies worldwide. With Evolution, they worked with their regular collaborators, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Babyface. They appeared on many talk shows including The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Vibe Show, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show and MTV Live.

The album was released on September 23, and that night, Boyz II Men signed copies of the album at the Virgin Megastore in New York City. Evolution debuted at #1 in the Billboard 200 with 215,000 copies sold in its first week of release. The album also debuted at #1 on the R&B Album Charts. However, the album spent only one week at the #1 spot and quickly fell down the charts. Evolution sold two million copies in the United States and over four million copies worldwide, a disappointment compared with the successes of Cooleyhighharmony and II. Evolution was not received well by critics. In October 1998, Boyz II Men went to Japan and Europe to promote the album, and during that year they embarked on the Evolution Tour.

Singles

The first single released from the album, "4 Seasons of Loneliness", was released in August 1997. The song was Boyz II Men's highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles. It debuted at #2, behind Mariah Carey's "Honey". The following week, the single went to #1, became their fourth (and fifth overall) and last chart-topper to date. 4 Seasons of Loneliness became Boyz II Men's sixth platinum single. Later that year, the second single, "A Song for Mama", was released, a track which already appeared on the Soul Food soundtrack The single reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B Singles Chart, making Boyz II Men the only group in history to have seven platinum singles in the United States.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Doin' Just Fine"Shawn StockmanStockman5:30
2."Never"Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Stockman, Wanya MorrisBabyface4:48
3."4 Seasons of Loneliness"James Harris III, Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis4:52
4."Girl in the Life Magazine"Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsBabyface3:29
5."A Song for Mama"Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsBabyface5:02
6."Can You Stand the Rain"James Harris III, Terry LewisBoyz II Men4:02
7."Can't Let Her Go"Sean Combs, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris, Gregory Johnson, Larry BlackmonSean "Puffy" Combs, Ron Lawrence, Stevie J4:30
8."Baby C'mon"Keith Crouch, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. MorrisCrouch4:36
9."Come On"Sean Combs, Jeffrey Walker, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris, Chad Elliott, Melissa Elliott, George Pearson, Gordon SumnerSean "Puffy" Combs, J-Dub5:01
10."All Night Long"John "Jubu" Smith, Crouch, McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, W. MorrisCrouch5:15
11."Human II (Don't Turn Your Back on Me)"Harris III, Lewis, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. MorrisJam and Lewis4:43
12."To the Limit"Walker, McCary, N. Morris, Sean Combs, Stockman, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, W. Morris, Bobby Caldwell, Alfons KettnerSean "Puffy" Combs, J-Dub, Stevie J.5:02
13."Dear God"Durrel Bottoms, Jamar Jones, McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, Todd Huston, Vivian S. Green, W. Morris, Richard SmallwoodBoyz II Men, Durrel Bottoms4:58
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Just Hold On"Kenneth "Babyface" EdmondsBabyface4:49
15."I Can Love You"McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, W. MorrisBoyz II Men4:56
French edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Wishes (Performed by Nathan Morris)"James Harris III, Terry Lewis, N. Morris, Stephen StillsJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis4:25

Spanish version
  1. "4 Estaciones De Soledad (4 Seasons of Loneliness)"
  2. "A Mi Me Va Bien (Doin' Just Fine)"
  3. "Te Doy Mi Amor (I Can Love You)"
  4. "La Chica De La Revista (Girl in the Life Magazine)"
  5. "Una Canción Para Mamá (A Song for Mama)"
  6. "Yo Te Voy a Amar (I'll Make Love to You)"
  7. "No Dejemos Que Muera el Amor (Water Runs Dry)"
  8. "Me Rindo Ante Ti (On Bended Knee)"
  9. "Yesterday (Spanish Version)"
  10. "Al Final Del Camino (End of the Road)"

Chart positions

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA) 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 45
Canadian Albums (RPM) 2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[6] 2
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts) 7
European Albums Chart[7] 18
French Albums (SNEP) 7
German Albums (Media Control Charts) 8
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[8] 8
New Zealand Albums (RIANZ) 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 25
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade) 20
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 12
US Billboard 200[10] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 1
Zimbabwe Albums (ZIMA)[12] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[13] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[15] Platinum 20,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[16] 2× Platinum 400,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[18] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles
Year Song[19] Hot R&B Singles U.S. Hot 100
1997 "4 Seasons of Loneliness" 2 1
"A Song for Mama" 1 7

See also

References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r315633
  2. Helligar, Jeremy (1997-09-26). "Evolution Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Boyz II Men". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  4. Hardy, Ernest (1997-10-10). "Boyz II Men: Evolution : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  5. Lannert, John (April 18, 1998). "Latino Artists Honored With Billboard Awards". Billboard. 110 (16): 77. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  6. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  7. https://books.google.com/books?id=0wkEAAAAMBAJ&lr=&rview=1%7Ctitle=Hits of the World - Eurochart|work=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|date=25 October 1997|accessdate=25 July 2012
  8. ボーイズ・ＩＩ・メンのCDアルバムランキング │オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE
  9. "Boyz II Men | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  10. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  11. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  13. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  14. "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  15. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong.
  16. "Japanese album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  17. "British album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Evolution in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  18. "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  19. "Artist Single Chart History - Boyz II Men". Billboard.com. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
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