Evolution (Boyz II Men album)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
Entertainment Weekly	C^[2]
Robert Christgau	^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]

Evolution is the third album by R&B group 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]

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.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Doin' Just Fine"	Shawn Stockman	Stockman	5:30
2.	"Never"	Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Stockman, Wanya Morris	Babyface	4:48
3.	"4 Seasons of Loneliness"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	4:52
4.	"Girl in the Life Magazine"	Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds	Babyface	3:29
5.	"A Song for Mama"	Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds	Babyface	5:02
6.	"Can You Stand the Rain"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis	Boyz II Men	4:02
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 Blackmon	Sean "Puffy" Combs, Ron Lawrence, Stevie J	4:30
8.	"Baby C'mon"	Keith Crouch, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris	Keith Crouch	4:36
9.	"Come On"	Sean Combs, Jeffrey Walker, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris, Chad Elliott, Melissa Elliott, George Pearson, Gordon Sumner	Sean "Puffy" Combs, J-Dub	5:01
10.	"All Night Long"	John "Jubu" Smith, Keith Crouch, McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, W. Morris	Keith Crouch	5:15
11.	"Human II (Don't Turn Your Back on Me)"	Harris III, Lewis, McCary, W. Morris, Stockman, N. Morris	Jam and Lewis	4:43
12.	"To the Limit"	Walker, McCary, N. Morris, Sean Combs, Stockman, Steven "Stevie J" Jordan, W. Morris, Bobby Caldwell, Alfons Kettner	Sean "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 Smallwood	Boyz II Men, Durrel Bottoms	4:58

Japanese edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Just Hold On"	Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds	Babyface	4:49
15.	"I Can Love You"	McCary, N. Morris, Stockman, W. Morris	Boyz II Men	4:56

French edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	{{{extra_column}}}	Length
16.	"Wishes (Performed by Nathan Morris)"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis, N. Morris, Stephen Stills	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis	4:25

Spanish version

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

Chart positions

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	6
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart	45
Canadian Albums Chart	2
Dutch Albums Chart	7
European Albums Chart^[6]	18
French Albums Chart	7
German Albums Chart	8
Japanese Albums Chart^[7]	8
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart	6
Swedish Albums Chart	25
Swiss Albums Chart	20
UK Albums Chart	12
U.S. Billboard 200	1
U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums (Spanish version: Evolucion)	13
Zimbabwe Albums Chart^[8]	10

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[9]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Canada (Music Canada)^[10]	2× Platinum	200,000^{^}
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)^[11]	Platinum	20,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[12]	2× Platinum	400,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[13]	Silver	60,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[14]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles

Year	Song^[15]	Hot R&B Singles	U.S. Hot 100
1997	"4 Seasons of Loneliness"	2	1
1997	"A Song for Mama"	1	7

References

^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r315633
^ Helligar, Jeremy (1997-09-26). "Evolution Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-30. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Boyz II Men". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-06-30. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
^ 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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Lannert, John (April 18, 1998). "Latino Artists Honored With Billboard Awards". Billboard. 110 (16): 77. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
^ http://books.google.ca/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
^ 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
^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong.
^ "Japanese album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
^ "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.
^ "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
^ "Artist Single Chart History - Boyz II Men". Billboard.com. Retrieved 14 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

"Can't Let Her Go" Music Video on YouTube / VEVO official channel
"Doin' Just Fine" Music Video on YouTube / VEVO official channel
Evolution at Discogs (list of releases)

Preceded by Butterfly by Mariah Carey	Billboard 200 number-one album October 11–17, 1997	Succeeded by You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs by LeAnn Rimes

[1] ttps://www.allmusic.com/album/r315633

[2] Helligar, Jeremy (1997-09-26). "Evolution Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-30. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[3] Christgau, Robert. "CG: Boyz II Men". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-06-30. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

[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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[5] Lannert, John (April 18, 1998). "Latino Artists Honored With Billboard Awards". Billboard. 110 (16): 77. Retrieved June 22, 2015.

[6] ttp://books.google.ca/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

[7] 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

[8] * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000

[AustraliaBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-9] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[CanadaBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-10] "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Music Canada. Retrieved 25 July 2012.

[Hong_KongBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-11] "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong.

[JapanBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-12] "Japanese album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012.

[United_KingdomBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-13] "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.

[United_StatesBoyz_II_MenEvolutionalbumCertRef-14] "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – Evolution". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 15, 2012.

[15] "Artist Single Chart History - Boyz II Men". Billboard.com. Retrieved 14 July 2009. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

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v t e Boyz II Men
Nathan Morris Shawn Stockman Wanya Morris Marc Nelson Michael McCary
Studio albums	Cooleyhighharmony II Evolution Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya Full Circle Throwback, Vol. 1 The Remedy Motown: Hitsville USA Love Covered: Winter Twenty Collide Under the Streetlight
Compilation albums	Christmas Interpretations The Remix Collection The Ballad Collection Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection The Millennium Collection: The Best of Boyz II Men
Singles	"Motownphilly" "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" "Uhh Ahh" "Please Don't Go" "End of the Road" "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" "Let It Snow" "I'll Make Love to You" "On Bended Knee" "Thank You" "Water Runs Dry" "One Sweet Day" "Brokenhearted" "Hey Lover" "4 Seasons of Loneliness" "A Song for Mama" "Doin' Just Fine" "I Will Get There" "Pass You By" "Thank You in Advance" "The Color of Love" "Relax Your Mind" "What You Won't Do for Love" "The Tracks of My Tears" "Just My Imagination" "Mercy Mercy Me" "I Can't Make You Love Me" "Iris" "If You Leave Me Now"
Related topics	Discography Babyface The Package Tour Total Package Tour
Category

History

Singles

Track listing

Spanish version

Chart positions

Charts

Certifications

Singles

See also

References

External links