Isn't it great that good music brings back amazing memories? All these years later, I can hear TLC songs and it reminds of hearing these songs. Sitting in my room at Uni discovering "Creep" for the first time, doing homework to "Baby, Baby, Baby" from their first album. And maybe I have some X-rated memories about what I was doing listening to "Red Light Special". Songs are memories.
So it gave me a nice little kick to hear that this week TLC's amazing sophomore album, "CrazySexyCool" turns 20. Even though all these having these iconic albums turn such landmark ages makes me feel pretty damn old! But what a great album it is. If I had to rank the girls album, this would most certainly rank as number one. Sure, "Fanmail" had two incredible singles in "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty" but the whole album was a little inconsistent and the group's debut, "Oooohhhhh .... on the TLC tip" was a great start but it's this album where everything came together. And probably the less said about fourth album, "3D", the better.
Just talking about the singles on this album, you can see how great this album is. A smooth and seductive album that was more R&B than Hip-Hop. The girls were creatively firing, and so were Dallas Austin, Babyface and Jermaine Dupri, producing at their best here. Lead single "Creep" was, and still is, an amazing track. Very laidback, with a great groove and vocals, this tale of cheating on a cheating spouse is a winner.
Third single, "Waterfalls" is the albums best known track. And for good reason. The great track features a laidback beat, a great message and a stunning filmclip, The best part, the catchy chorus that's designed to sing-a-long. Plus, it's a great karaoke tune.
My favourite track is second single, "Red Light Special". While the song never took off here in Australia, it was a massive hit in the US. I still love to play this very sexy track regularly. And boy these are some steamy lyrics, "Baby it's yours, if you want it tonight, I'll give you the red light special". This is a great song for candles, a bottle of wine and maybe some company! Maybe not, I'm not here to judge.
Other highlights on the album include fourth single, "Digging On You", which was a top ten hit in Australia. Another laidback R&B track to make you groove and sing-a-long. As for album tracks, my favourite is undoubtedly the Prince cover, "If I Was Your Girlfriend". Their seductive vocals fit perfectly with this sultry tune. A great cover that gets close to the brilliant original.
It was sad that the world lost such a great talent in Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez. But this album is a great way to remember her, talented, fiery and seductive. Go back and explore this great album, a time capsule to the mid 90's!
So what is my favourite TLC song of all time? I could easily pick any of the singles here, especially "Red Light Special". "No Scrubs" still brings me joy and "Unpretty" still makes me sing along. But my favourite belongs to their first album. "Baby Baby Baby" is a great ballad that I loved as a teen, and still love to put it on loud. This reminds me of Sunday afternoons when I was supposed to be doing homework but was instead listening to the American Top 40 on the radio.
So what's your favourite TLC track? Tell me in the comments section below.
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