Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
2007 studio album by Boyz II Men
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Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA is the tenth studio album by Boyz II Men. It was released on November 13, 2007, by Decca Records. The album was produced by American Idol's Randy Jackson and Boyz II Men. David Simone and Winston Simone were Executive Producers for the album. The album is a tribute to some of Motown's classic songs, including "Just My Imagination" by The Temptations, "The Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles and "Reach Out I'll Be There" by The Four Tops. The first single off the album is "The Tracks of My Tears".
| Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 54:56 | |||
| Label | Decca, UMTV | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Boyz II Men chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA | ||||
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Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (59/100)[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Billboard | (favorable)[3] |
| Boston.com | (favorable)[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C−[5] |
| Vibe |  [1] |
| The Village Voice | (unfavorable)[6] |
The album debuted at #8 in the UK Albums Chart. On the US Billboard 200 chart, it debuted at #27, selling about 42,000 copies in its first week.[7] The album received two nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for 'Ribbon In The Sky'.)
Vibe writes: "The trio's confident take on DeBarge's timeless 'All This Love' proves the song deserves a place next to its more celebrated counterparts... Their lush signature harmonies remain intact."[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" | The Temptations | 4:25 | |
| 2. | "It's the Same Old Song/Reach Out I'll Be There" | The Four Tops | 3:55 | |
| 3. | "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" | Marvin Gaye | Marvin Gaye | 3:12 |
| 4. | "The Tracks of My Tears" | The Miracles | 3:24 | |
| 5. | "Money (That's What I Want)" | Barrett Strong | 2:54 | |
| 6. | "Easy" | Lionel Richie | The Commodores | 5:26 |
| 7. | "I Was Made to Love Her" | Stevie Wonder | 3:32 | |
| 8. | "All This Love" | Eldra DeBarge | DeBarge | 5:34 |
| 9. | "Ribbon in the Sky" (A Capella) | Stevie Wonder | Stevie Wonder | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (featuring Patti LaBelle) | Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell | 2:51 | |
| 11. | "There'll Never Be" (International bonus track) | Bobby DeBarge | Switch | 4:58 |
| 12. | "Got to Be There" | Elliot Willensky | Michael Jackson | 3:32 |
| 13. | "War" |
| Edwin Starr | 4:20 |
| 14. | "End of the Road" (A Capella) (featuring Brian McKnight) | Boyz II Men | 3:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" (Acoustic version) |
| The Temptations | 4:12 |
| 16. | "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" (Acoustic version) | Marvin Gaye | Marvin Gaye | 3:07 |
| 17. | "Easy" (Acoustic version) | Lionel Richie | The Commodores | 4:45 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Rob Bacon – guitar (6, 11, 12), acoustic guitar (7, 8), electric guitar (8)
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (1–5, 10, 12, 13)
- Luis Conte – percussion (1–5, 7, 10, 12, 13)
- Kenneth Crouch – piano (1, 2, 5, 8, 12), keyboards (5–7, 11–13, 17), B3 (5, 12), Fender Rhodes (3, 4, 10), Wurlitzer (4), clavinet (13)
- James Gamble – drums (6–8, 11)
- Larry Gold – string arrangements (1–3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15–17)
- Dave Guy – trumpet (2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13)
- Ian Hendrickson-Smith – baritone saxophone (2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13), flute (2, 8, 10)
- Randy Jackson – bass (10, 11)
- Aaron Johnson – trombone (2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13)
- Cornelius Mims – bass (1–8, 12, 13)
- Neal Sugarman – tenor saxophone (2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13)
- Tim Pierce – guitar (2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13), electric guitar (3, 16)
- Matt Rollings – piano (3–5, 10–12), keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12), B3 (1, 2, 4, 5, 12), Fender Rhodes (1), Wurlitzer 13), clavinet (13)
- Ramón Stagnaro – acoustic guitar (8)
- Michael Thompson – electric guitar (1, 3, 8, 16), acoustic guitar (1, 8, 15), guitar (4, 6, 10–12), electric sitar (7)
Technical personnel
- Randy Jackson – producer (1–8, 10–13)
- Boyz II Men – producer (1–13)
- Brian McKnight – producer (14)
- David Simone – executive producer
- Winston Simone – executive producer
- Kevin Guarnieri – engineer
- David Swope – engineer
- Alan Armitage – engineer
- Jeff Chestek – additional engineering
- Frank Sutton – additional engineering
- Chris Wood – engineer (14)
- Eric Rennaker – engineer (9)
- Shari Sutcliffe – music contractor
- Mick Guzauski – mixing
- Tom Bender – assistant mix engineer
- Dennis Rivadeneira – assistant mix engineer
- Leon Zervos – mastering
- Keith Gremlin – assistant engineer
- Antonio Resendiz – assistant engineer
- Matt Serrecchio – assistant engineer
- Sean Brennan – assistant engineer
- John Stahl – assistant engineer
- Wanya Morris – assistant engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Single chart positions
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