Chart toppers All-4-One look here to stay

Chart toppers All-4-One look here to stay

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): Pop music is going through a transition.

Mainstream mainstays Janet Jackson and Madonna may continue to
churn out formulaic hits, but the kids are turning to
"alternative" rock bands, "techno" tunes, and anything
experimental in between.

As performers and audiences push the envelope, the lines
between categories blur. What does one call an R&B band that
mixes rap samples with soulful vocals? How does one categorize a
screeching guitar solo electrifying a hip-hop track? And how to
explain a duet between Luciano Pavarotti and Bono of U2?

Some stay away from exploring the edges. In this era of
musical mish-mash, where does acapella boy band All-4-One fit in?
Mostly on the charts. All-4-One's second single I Swear spent 11
straight weeks on Billboard's pop charts, and became 1994's
biggest-selling record. The chart-busting single also gave them a
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.

Only one other group dominates the charts, but it's a key
rivalry. That Boyz II Men is another all-male quartet shows that
many women will pay to be serenaded by men with high-pitched
voices in matching outfits. All-4-One is the male version, times
four, of ballad queens Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. They
sound just as sweet.

The band's origins may be traced to church choirs. None of the
members of All-4-One had any formal vocal training, but singing
in church choirs brought out their hidden talents.

"It was a gift," Jamie Jones told The Jakarta Post. "Singing
in church choirs, playing instruments in school bands -- it all
just came naturally," he said.

After a few radio station jingles and a karaoke show, Blitzz
Records signed them to do what they do best: Singing love songs
acapella.

During interviews, All-4-One are as harmonious and innocuous
as their records. The group was in Jakarta recently to promote
their second album, As the Music Speaks.

"We wanted to just say hello to all the fans," said Tony
Borowiak.

As for the title of the new album, Delious explains it was to
counter accusations that the band members do not get along. "If
we didn't get along, you would hear it in our music," said
Delious. "It would sound like four guys who don't get along
rather than four guys who harmonize very well. So we're saying,
listen to the music, let the music speak," he said.

Delious adds that there is room in pop music for all types of
performers. "There's a lot of groups out there, but there's
enough for everybody to have their own audience. We just do what
we do and worry about ourselves," he said.

What All-4-One does not seem to worry about are interviews.
Answering the questions in tandem and without missing a beat, the
band showed the professionalism of performers accustomed to media
grilling. Their retorts were swift, short, and opaque; replying
to questions but not actually answering them.

All-4-One would be first to say that they prefer singing. "We
love to sing romantic songs, we love to sing dance songs. That's
why we try to put all that in our albums," said Tony Borowiak.

"We do like to sing," added Jamie Jones. "No matter what it
may be, maybe even polka. We'll sing it if we like it."

All-4-One love singing as much as they love their fans, which
they clearly expressed during the interview. "Thank you for
supporting us," said Tony Borowiak. "Thanks for our fan mail, and
we do get it, and we do read it, and we love you," he said in
parting.

The following is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: How do you categorize your music? Do you categorize
yourselves as soul performers?

Jamie Jones: We categorize ourselves as singers. We're not
soul singers or pop singers. We're singers.

How do you feel about your audience? What kind of audience do
you feel you have?

Tony Borowiak: Our audiences range from pretty much everyone.
We have from young kids to the oldest adults, and cultures, it
doesn't matter. We have a wide variety.

Do you think the boy-band acapella phenomenon will be a short-
lived trend?

Jamie Jones: Well, it's been going on for years and years,
starting from the 1920s and 1930s, so I'll let you be the judge
of that.

What do you want to do now? Which direction do you want to
take? Do you have any collaboration plans like the one between
Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey?

Jamie Jones: You never know. Right now we just take it one day
at a time. But if there's something in the future that looks
good, we'll hop on it. But right now as we know it, we're just
being All-4-One and we're just singing as All-4-One.

Do you think you are marketed differently for your
international audience?

Tony Borowiak: How we're marketed is us just being us, doing
what we want to do.

Where are you most popular internationally?

Tony Borowiak: Who's our biggest market? It's really hard to
say, internationally. We've done pretty well pretty much
everywhere.