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Songland 2020 Episode 7 Recap Featuring Boyz II Men (VIDEO)

05/25/2020 mj santilli Recaps, Songlan

Songland season 2 continues tonight on NBC featuring legendary 90s R&B group Boyz II Men. In the episode, songwriters will pitch their compositions to the the guest artist and the panel. Afterward, songwriter/producers Ryan Tedder, Shane McAnally and Ester Dean work with the artists.. The group will then choose one song to record. 

Everything you need to know about tonight's episode featuring Boyz II Men:

Boyz II Men are looking for songs that are memorable, easy to remember and hard to forget. But they also are looking for something contemporary, "more modern day."  Ryan calls the group the "original GOATs" because of their string of hits in the 90s. Some of you may remember band member Shawn Stockman as a judge on the NBC a cappella competition from a few years ago, The Sing-Off.

The Artists Pitch their Songs

Zak Waters – Bad Things – Zak is a musician, singer-songwriter, DJ, and record producer from Los Angeles. After highschool, his band got signed to Universal/Motown. He grew up on early R&B stuff like Boyz II Men. Zak wrote the song he's pitching after a break up. The lyric, "Try to remember the bad things," serves as a reminder to stay clear eyed about a relationship, even as times passes.  The jazzy, soulful verses lead to a surprising chorus, that the panel really digs. Ryan calls it a "unicorn chorus." They all like it so much, they work on the verses to make the chorus pop even more..

Juan and Lisa Winans – Maybe –  Juan is a third generation member of the famed gospel family, the Winans. Mom & Pop Winans are his grandparents. He is the son of Carvin Winans a member of The Winans singing group. Lisa Kimmey was a member of the group Out of Eden. The couple married in 2007. The song was inspired by Lisa and took Juan two years to finish. The song has a retro vibe that feels suitable for the group. But with Lisa handling the vocals, the verse is limp, and the melody boring. But when Juan takes over the vocals at Ester's request, the song comes alive. The lyrics are trite either way, but he imbues so much feeling into the words, it changes everything. The panel agrees, however, that the story needs to be clearer.  Interesting that the panel never acknowledges their famous family.

Charles Infamous – Jukebox – He is a hip hop producer and artist from Lancaster, Penna. The song is about nostalgia "taking the vibe back to the classics," says Charles. The tune has a fun, bouncy vibe. Very chill. The mentions of specific nostalgia like "Michael J Fox" are a little too referential. He effortlessly breaks into a rap half way through the performance. He's very smooth. Shane loves the melody in the verse. But group member Wanya Morris suggests a bigger melody for the hook. He's got a point. The melody is sweet, but a little monotonous. Ester notices the "sight" references in the song. She suggests changing the name to "20/20."

ChrisLee – Love Struck – A singer/songwriter and record producer from Essex Fells, NJ, Chris moved to Los Angeles six months ago to pursue a musical career. Currently he's doing production work and "sync stuff." Plus, he plays live music for his girlfriend's yoga class. The song is about her. "Love Struck" is another smooth, jazzy effort, but with a sexy vibe. The group seems really impressed. They play with the melody a bit, while Shane tweaks the lyrics. Ryan wants to simplify the words, make them more human.

Boyz II Men make their choice

Results! Zak Waters, ChrisLee and Juan and Lisa Winans advance. The group likes the song from Charles Infamous, but feel they don't have the time to get the song where it needs to be. Charles is eliminated.

Producer sessions

Ester Dean produces ChrisLee – In a Facetime call, Wayna confesses that he thought Chris' song was the closest to complete. He wants to retain the vibe, but make the story clearer in the second verse. Next, Ester and Chris work on harmonies.

Shane McAnally produces Juan and Lisa Winans – Shane works to make sure the concept that the group understands–a solid couple who nevertheless has hard times–is clearly understood. He admires the couple's willingness to be vulnerable. Later, they chat with Shawn about changing the hook. "It has to feel real," he says. After changes, Shane feels the song is "more digestible, less dated." He suggests Juan sing lead with harmonies from Lisa.

Ryan Tedder produces Zak Waters – Ryan wants to steer the song away from Neo Soul. Which frankly, I don't understand? But apparently the group wants to go in a pop direction. Ryan's idea is to "pop up" the verses, but keep what's best about the "unicorn" chorus. After Ryan makes some changes, Zak notes that "it sounds more like a radio song now.

The Artists present their newly produced songs

Chris Lee – Love Struck – Ester added a pre-chorus at the beginning of the song, which seems pointless? Although I like the song, it's hard to imagine Boyz II Men cutting this record. It sounds more like a Robin Thicke joint. The group loves the vibe.

Juan and Lisa Winans – What If It's Love –  Shane notes that he drew from his own life when rewriting the lyrics, bringing real life in order to scratch below the surface. Even the title is more specific now.  This song has come a long way from the original. The hook is 1000 percent more listenable. And I don't understand why Juan didn't sing lead in the first place.

Zak Waters – Bad Things – Zak mentions several times how much the song has changed. I get the sense that his feelings are mixed about the result. If he sells the song, he'll probably get over it! Hm. The neo soul version of the song is better. The verse is so busy and straightforward, when it comes, the chorus is less of a revelation. Shawn calls it "a bop." Eh.

RESULTS

The songwriters gather! Wanya calls all the songs "extremely great…they all took a major turn." Shawn thanks them for trusting the changes. The song Boyz II Men choose to record is "Love Struck." Wow. I'm surprised. But wait. THERE'S MORE. They love all the songs! They're going to record all of them! They're all winners!

You get a song! And you get a song and YOU GET A SONG. Hooray. Love Struck is the main pick, though. It gets a music video. Last season will.i.am also recorded every song presented to him.

Boyz II Men – Love Struck – The recorded version by Boyz II Men sounds completely different. The group deserves credit for staying creative and on top of trends. There are so many aging artist who get stuck in the decade they came from. 

Love Struck (From Songland)

Love Struck (From Songland) Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises Love Struck (From Songland) · Boyz II Men Love Struck (From Songl...

Next Monday: Bebe Rexha

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Simon Cowell: Coronavirus Shutdown Won't Stop AGT Live Finals

Hey All :)

We are back! World Of Dance returns for an epic fourth season and it all starts tonight. I am happy to see you guys and I hope everyone is remaining safe and healthy through these crazy times. A little entertainment is something we can all use to pass the time. So, let's be entertained by some phenomenal dancing.

Will this be the fourth season in a row where a hip-hop act wins the million dollars? Will we see some returning favorites, perhaps incorporated into new groups? And of course, how many times will Jennifer get the "goosies?" Here we go…

Jennifer wants the contestants to earn their way onto the big stage, so that's why these auditions are happening in a warehouse. The contestants think they are auditioning for the producers. Scott Evans (our host) is on hand.

First up tonight is Jefferson & Adrianita, a salsa duo in the upper division. They are a couple but have been dancing for seventeen years. They have won competitions around the world. They named their son Derek, after….yes, Derek Hough. They are a little shocked to see the judges, to say the least. DAMN. Now, we know why they are champs. That was incredible. So fast, so intricate, with so many deliciously tricky steps and they never missed a beat.

Ne-Yo calls it slick and tight. Jennifer compares them to previous contestants who didn't win and says they need a little improvement (faster footwork). Derek loved the tricks and found them surprising. He notes that the surprises need to be maintained. Derek gets up to dance with Adrianita and Jennifer gets up to dance with Jefferson. A dance-off between the "couples." Ne-Yo will not declare a winner. They need (2) YES votes to go to the duels. Ne-Yo says YES. Derek says YES. Jennifer says YES. THEY GO TO THE DUELS.

Next up tonight is GRVMNT, a hip-hop crew from Canada with the junior division. They express themselves as high energy and sharp. One is the trickster who just goes for anything on the floor. They are all family (not related) and when one's father passed away, they all came together for him. He dances now as though his dad is watching. They are literally all crying at the experience of doing this. Wait till they see the judges. SURPRISE. They can't believe it. They are very cool. Love the formations here. It is nothing we haven't seen before from other hip-hop crews but they definitely have an entertaining way. I appreciate the attention to detail as I was watching- it looked like everyone was in step with one another. A couple of cool moves thrown in and a very solid audition.

Derek says it was well rehearsed. He felt his energy dip in the middle. Ne-Yo thought they did well. It was super clean and strong but he didn't like the groove moment during the dance. He doesn't want to see the transitions coming. Jennifer says they have encouraging things but they need to be at another level. Jennifer says YES. Ne-Yo says CALLBACK (they get another opportunity). Derek's vote is a CALLBACK also. So, this crew will be back to dance BEFORE the duels to see if they can improve. That was a tough critique but I can't say I disagree. A lot of that was familiar and they need to bring it up a notch.

Next is Jake & Chau. Jake looks nauseous seeing the judges and realizing they are auditioning for them right now. They are contemporary dancers with the upper division. They met at a dance convention. They have good communication and trust. Very good contemporary piece. She's a wee bit better than he is and he had one or two moments during that which looked sloppy. But they do great partner work and they tell a nice story within the time of the dance.

Derek calls it beautiful and stunning. He loved the connected choreography. Ne-Yo enjoyed the chemistry and trust. Jennifer says they are looking for something new and something that makes them feel and she thinks they are special. Derek notes they should tap a little bit more into the emotional part. Ne-Yo says YES. Jennifer says YES. Derek says YES. They make it to the DUELS.

Up next are Bailey & Kida, a hip-hop duo in the junior division. This is another pair with a huge social media following. They have appeared on Ellen and have both danced with some incredible names (including Janet Jackson and Jason Derulo). They definitely have a presence in the business. It has only been a few weeks that they have been a duo. Unreal. So good. Best of the night thus far. The dynamite is that even though they are a duo, each had a signature way about them that makes you want to watch them individually and together. The popping and locking was great and they are also really good storytellers within the dance. I understand now why so many artists ask them to dance.

Jennifer tells them they are great performers. But she can tell they haven't been dancing together for a long time. Derek agrees and thinks the "vibing" will come with time. Ne-Yo loved the isolations. Ne-Yo is impressed and says YES. Derek says YES. Jennifer agrees and they go straight to the duels. They better have gotten three yes

Savannah Manzel is next, a jazz dancer with the junior division. The show has been using this girl in promotional commercials for the show so she should be fantastic. They have highlighted her a lot. She fell in love with dance as a kid. Heck, she is still a kid. She's NINE. LOL. She makes friendship bracelets and made some for everyone in the waiting room. Her mom tells her she is dancing in front of producers. SHOCKER. No, you are not. She is excited and doesn't seem at all intimidated by the judges being there. She's adorable and a little firecracker out there. I am always weary of kids being in competition shows for a variety of obvious reasons. But she has the stuff. Very nice steps. She needs to work on connecting more to the music and telling a story but that's the job for her choreographers to teach clearly. I am on the fence about whether she should be on a show where she could potentially be devastated by not winning but her mom seems like a good support system.

Jennifer says she looks like she was rehearsing for that for years. She calls her a pretty amazing dancer that is strong and athletic. Derek wants to call his nieces to step it up because Savannah was here. Ne-Yo has no words and her still level is above her years. All the judges say yes and Savannah is on her way to the duels. She is the youngest soloist the show has had.