''Cooleyhighharmony'' is the debut studio album by American R&B group

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Natha ...

. It was first released in the United States by

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

on April 30, 1991. The album was mainly written by Boyz II Men members

Nathan Morris Nathan Bartholomew Morris (born June 18, 1971) is an American baritenor, singer, businessman, and the founding member of American band Boyz II Men. He was the host of the show Hit Properties on the DIY Network where he bought and renovated a mu ...

Wanya Morris Wanyá Jermaine Morris ( ) (born July 29, 1973) is an American singer, best known as a member of the R&B group Boyz II Men. Television and film appearances Morris was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of '' ...

and

Shawn Stockman Shawn Patrick Stockman (born September 26, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a member of the vocal group Boyz II Men. In addition to Boyz II Men, Stockman was a member of the group Black Men United ...

and extensively produced by

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

. ''Cooleyhighharmony'' title is a tribute to a real high school in Chicago:

Cooley Vocational High School Edwin Gilbert Cooley Vocational High School (also known as Cooley Vocational High School and Upper Grade Center, commonly known as Cooley High) was a public 4–year vocational high school and middle school located in the Old Town neighborhood o ...

. The album debuted at number 58 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and eventually peaked at number 3. Its original version produced the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Top 5 singles, "

Motownphilly "Motownphilly" is a song by American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men, released as their first single from their debut album, '' Cooleyhighharmony''. The single was a success, peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Michael Bivins, ...

" and "

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is an R&B song written by Motown husband-and-wife songwriting team Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian for the 1975 film '' Cooley High''. In the film, the song is performed by Motown artist G.C. Camer ...

." ''Cooleyhighharmony'' was re-released internationally in 1992 (1993 in the US) with remixes and the inclusion of two hit singles: the worldwide hit single " End of the Road" from the ''Boomerang'' soundtrack and " In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" which was initially recorded for the TV mini-series '' The Jacksons: An American Dream''. ''Cooleyhighharmony'' has been certified nine times Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA) for shipments of over 9 million units in the US. In 2009, a two-disc digitally remastered special edition of the album was released, containing remixes as well as two previously unreleased songs.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

editor Andy Kellman rated ''Cooleyhighharmony'' four and a half stars out of five. He called the album "a brisk 40-minute set built for front-to-back listening, though the sequencing is more natural with the "adagio" and "allegro" halves switched up. For many of those responsible for its multi-platinum status, it is the album of the early '90s." In a mixed review, Amy Linden from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' wrote: "Reversing the usual sequence, the album starts with slow jams and saves the faster jams for last, which only serves to highlight how routine the slow stuff is. Don't they know that you start the party kickin', then get down to the grinding?"

Track listing

2009 re-release

In 2009, a two-disc digitally remastered special edition of the album was released by Hip-O Select Records. It contains the 1993 reissue version of the album, plus additional remixes and two previously unreleased tracks.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Cooleyhighharmony''. Technical * Vida Sparks *

* Michael Bivins * Jheryl Busby * Dave Way * Dennis Mitchell * Darin Prindle * Chris Trevett * Steve Schwartzberg * Jim "Jiff" Hinger * Mark Partis Additional personnel *Mastering: Chris Bellman *Mastering location:

Bernie Grundman Mastering Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and ...

*Creative director: Michael Bivins *Art director: Stephen Meltzer *Design: Kaie Wellman *Assistant designer: Elizabeth Matbeny *A&R director: Vida Sparks *Assistant: Darrale Jones *Administrative assistant: Dianne Johnson *Photography: Butch Belaire *Hair and make-up: Helene Andersson *Stylist: Agnes Baddoo Mixing locations * Soundworks Studio, New York, NY * Soundtract Studio, New York, NY *

Doppler Studios Doppler Studios is a recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, established in 1969 as a one-room studio, and grew to host seven rooms. History Founded by original co-owners Pete Caldwell and Tom Wells to serve as their jingle company ...

, Atlanta, GA

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1991 debut albums Albums produced by Dallas Austin Boyz II Men albums Motown albums Albums produced by Troy Taylor (record producer)