A More Mature Boyz II Men Gives Romance a Serious Whirl

Two things were missing from Thursday’s Luther Vandross-Boyz II Men double bill in Irvine that kept it from being the ultimate date-night romance-a-thon: a cushy sofa for 10,000 and a 10-story roaring fire.

Otherwise, the romantically inclined on hand at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater couldn’t have asked for more in the way of unabashed declarations of unending love.

It briefly appeared that Vandross himself was missing when a svelte, positively skinny guy strolled out following Boyz II Men’s set and began singing songs from Vandross’ catalog. But the formerly beefy singer said his new look is the result of a rigorous diet and a divorce: “It’s true--Mrs. Fields and I won’t be seeing each other anymore.”

Vandross is no longer the invincible hit maker he was in the ‘80s, and he virtually ignored his latest album, 1998’s “I Know,” in favor of a greatest-hits set. Yet the veteran singer still connects with a segment of the pop audience hungry for songs that find something more in man-woman relationships than the bumping of bodies in the night.

It hasn’t been quite so long since Boyz II Men ruled the pop world, but it seems like an eternity to realize that the Philly foursome reigned before the likes of Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and 98 Degrees.

The quartet also leaned on hits but tiptoed into its new album, “Nathan, Michael, Shawn, Wanya,” which shows a couple of new wrinkles--the Spanish-style guitar lines in “Beautiful Women” suggesting the Gipsy Kings in Philadelphia and the “love-doesn’t-necessarily-conquer all” theme of “Pass You By.”

But overall the group hasn’t substantially altered its harmony-rich music, and like Vandross is banking on a future as an alternative to crotch-grabbing rappers whose take on romance often leaves nothing to, or for, the imagination.