During the past three years, the lads in Boyz II Men have done it all.
To start, the group's debut album, "Cooleyhighharmony," sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. That recording won the Boyz two Grammys, three American Music Awards, two Soul Train Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and one World Music Award.Whew! Now, how does a group put together a worthy follow-up album? Go to the desert.
Boyz II Men's latest smash, "II," was written and recorded in a secluded desert studio called Granny's House.
"You do everything there," says the group's tenor, Shawn Stockman. "Eat. Sleep. Live. You can even cook your own food, if you want to. It was a great place for us to get started and get focused."
The soulful rhythm and blues of Stockman, Wanya Morris, Mike McCary and Nathan Morris, collectively known as Boyz II Men, will fill the Delta Center on Monday, March 6. Brandy, the 15-year-old actress/
singer who reached No. 1 on Billboard's rhythm & blues singles chart, will open the show at 7:30 p.m.
During the stay at Granny's House, Boyz II Men recaptured its family feeling, collaborated and developed the follow-up confidence needed to record "II."
"On this album, we tried to go places that people didn't know Boyz II Men could go," said bass vocalist McCary.
The album's first single, "I'll Make Love to You," spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 100. The follow-up single, "On Bended Knee," held the top position for six weeks, and the album "II" has just regained the No. 1 slot on the Top 200 Albums for a fifth week.
During Wednesday night's Gram-mys, the Boyz did it again by landing the best R&B duo or group for the vocals on "I'll Make Love to You." The hit, penned by Babyface, also won best R&B song. And "II" snatched the best R&B album award.
Brandy hit the scene last year with her self-titled debut album. Her sound is a cool blend of R&B highlighted with hip-hop.
Her first single, "I Wanna Be Down," peaked at No. 7 on the Top 100 singles chart. Her recent single, "Baby," has worked its way to No. 4 on the pop chart and has also been atop the R&B single list for weeks.
While recording "Brandy," the young artist decided to drop her last name, Norwood, which she used while starring as Denesha on ABC-TV's "Thea" - a role that snatched her a Youth in Film Award nomination.
"I grew up a lot," she said about the demands of the series. "I learned the responsibilities of having a job and having to take care of my own business."
With the acting bit under her belt, Brandy said she's better off concentrating on music.
"When it comes to singing, I've always been very focused."