Boyz II Men is, unfortunately, tied forever to treacly ballads like "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You*. And because those songs are responsible for their astronomical success, it is quite fashionable to characterize them as weak balladeers who stripped every ounce of soul from their sound in order to sell tens of thousands of albums.
Not entirely untrue. But…
…then you watch the sublime Soul Story on VH1Soul, which plays old-school videos for an hour, and are reminded that Boyz II Men did have a lil flavor:
I mean. Right?
*It's worth noting that their debut album, CooleyHighHarmony, holds up much better (both as an album and each individual song itself) than II…or any of their subsequent albums. That album alone makes them more than just a great commercial pop group.
