CrazySexyCool

About

Packed with hits—and plenty of personality—TLC’s 1992 debut <i>Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip</i> had helped reshape the sound of modern pop. By expertly mixing together R&B and hip-hop, TLC members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkin, Lisa “Left Eye” Lope, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas had proved they could blur genre lines with ease. Still, the new jack swing aesthetics of <i>Ooooooohhh...</i>—and the youthful image projected by the trio—could easily have fated TLC to subsequent obscurity, subject to the whims of a fickle marketplace (and an even crueler industry). The group’s 1994 follow-up, <i>CrazySexyCool</i>, put all of that noise to bed. With its decidedly more mature themes and undeniably strong execution, the album proved a multi-platinum powerhouse, one that proved once and for all that TLC wasn’t a fad. All three members were in their mid-twenties when <i>CrazySexyCool</i> was released, and the album finds them digging deep into the dynamics of modern relationships—albeit with a sex-positive perspective. “Creep,” the smash lead-off single, leans heavily into the old adage “turnabout Is fair play,” with T-Boz quietly yet confidently admitting to down-low trysts (all done as retaliation against her philandering partner). The funk-fueled “Kick Your Game,” meanwhile, finds the group members poignantly goading their would-be suitor, while the trio’s take on Prince’s gender-fluid “If I Was Your Girlfriend” adds new dimensions to the already iconic track. Throughout <i>CrazySexyCool</i>, the three distinct personalitie, voice, and attitudes that make up TLC come through clearer than ever, making for a remarkably cohesive and assured effort. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →