TLC | ||
| Allmusic Biography : One of the biggest-selling female groups of all time, TLC rode a blend of post-new jack swing R&B; and pop to superstardom during the 90s. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas appealed equally to pop and R&B; audiences, blending catchy hooks and bouncy funk with a playful and confident attitude. Their sound was reflected in their image, equal parts style and spirit, bolstered by a flamboyant, outrageous wardrobe. After their star-making second album, CrazySexyCool, the group fell into disarray and took over four years to record their follow-up, Fanmail, though the hits kept coming. By the end of the 90s, they had three multi-platinum albums and nine Top 10 Hot 100 hits to their credit. Tragedy struck in 2002 when Lopes was killed in a car accident, but Watkins and Thomas sporadically performed and recorded as TLC into the late 2010s. TLC formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1991, when Watkins and Lopes split off from another group. In short order, they met Thomas, locally based producer Dallas Austin, and singer, songwriter, and producer Pebbles, who became their manager. They quickly scored a record deal with L.A. Reid and Babyfaces new label, LaFace, and in February 1992 issued their new jack-styled debut album, Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip. The video for the provocative and aggressive lead single, "Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg," established their quirky, colorful fashion sense, and true to her nickname, Lopes stirred up some attention by wearing a condom over her left eye to promote safe sex. The song became a Top Ten Hot 100 hit, as did its follow-ups, the ballad "Baby-Baby-Baby" (a number two hit) and "What About Your Friends." The groups second album, CrazySexyCool, followed in November 1994 and was a blockbuster success. Taking a cue from Salt-n-Pepas makeover on Very Necessary, CrazySexyCool toned down the boisterousness of their first album in favor of a smoother, more mature presentation. They were still strong and sexual, but now fully adult as well, and were more involved (especially Lopes) in crafting their own material. The slinky lead single, "Creep," became TLCs first number one pop hit, topping the chart for four weeks. It was followed by three more Top Five singles: "Red Light Special," "Waterfalls" (which became their biggest hit ever, spending seven weeks at number one), and "Diggin on You." TLC were a bona fide phenomenon, and their stylish videos and live performances kept upping the ante for their outrageous fashion sense. CrazySexyCool eventually sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone, and won a Grammy for Best R&B; Album. TLC spent much of 1996 getting their financial affairs in order, and were set to re-enter the studio in the summer of 1997, but the sessions had trouble getting off the ground due to a public spat with Dallas Austin, who did wind up handling the vast majority of the sessions. Still, it took quite some time to put together. Lopes announced in the summer of 1998 that she was working on a solo album, and Watkins tried her hand at acting with an appearance in the Hype Williams-directed Belly. All the delays, tension, and side projects fueled rumors of an impending breakup. Fanmail, TLCs hotly anticipated third album, was finally released in February 1999 and debuted at number one. Its first single, "No Scrubs" -- a dismissal of men who didnt measure up -- topped the Hot 100, as did the follow-up "Unpretty," which tackled unrealistic beauty standards. Fanmail wound up going six-times platinum, and won another Best R&B; Album Grammy. As TLC prepared to tour, tensions between the individual members spilled over into a public feud. Lopes blasted TLCs recent music and challenged her bandmates to record solo albums, so that fans could see who had the real talent. The blowup was only temporary, but rumors about the groups future continued to swirl. In 2001, TLC nonetheless regrouped and entered the studio together to work on material for a new album. Meanwhile, Lopes solo debut, Supernova, was scheduled for release and then scrapped on several occasions. It eventually came out overseas, but domestically Arista pulled the plug. Meanwhile, TLCs recording was halted when Watkins was hospitalized for complications with her anemia. At the beginning of 2002, Lopes announced that she had signed a solo deal with the infamous Suge Knights new label, Tha Row, for which she would begin recording a follow-up to the unreleased Supernova under the name N.I.N.A. (New Identity Non-Applicable). She never got the chance. While vacationing in Honduras, Lopes lost control of a vehicle she was driving and died after a head trauma on April 25, 2002. The surviving members of TLC completed 3D, the album on which they had been working, and released it that November. Although none of its singles entered the Top Ten, the album itself debuted at number six and went double platinum. Watkins and Thomas performed as TLC at New York radio station Z100s Zootropia concert in June 2003. Said to be TLCs last performance, the duo performed with a video projection of Lopes. Two years later, they co-starred in R U the Girl, a nine-episode reality television program on the UPN network, in which singers competed for the award of contributing to a TLC single. Tiffany "Oso Krispie" Baker won and subsequently appeared on "I Bet." Watkins and Thomas continued to perform together and occasionally recorded. The anniversary tie-in 20, an anthology released in October 2013, included the Ne-Yo collaboration "Meant to Be," which played during the closing credits of VH1s original movie CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story. After additional touring, TLC recorded a new album supported with crowdfunding. The self-titled set was released in 2017, led by the nostalgic single "Way Back," featuring Snoop Dogg. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 12 Title: Ooooooohhh…On the TLC Tip Released: 1992-02-25 Tracks: 15 Duration: 55:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:31) 2 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (05:36) 3 Shock Dat Monkey (05:08) 4 Intermission I (00:19) 5 Hat 2 da Back (04:16) 6 Das da Way We Like ’Em (05:01) 7 What About Your Friends (04:53) 8 His Story (04:22) 9 Intermission II (00:59) 10 Bad by Myself (03:55) 11 Somethin’ You Wanna Know (05:43) 12 Baby‐Baby‐Baby (05:15) 13 This Is How It Should Be Done (04:27) 14 Depend on Myself (04:11) 15 Conclusion (00:47) |
| Ooooooohhh…On the TLC Tip : Allmusic album Review : TLCs debut album, Ooooooohhh...on the TLC Tip, established the trios image and unorthodox fashion sense, which at this point was based on baggy, brightly colored clothes and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes trademark condom. Some accused them of borrowing their look from Bell Biv DeVoe, and their female-positive, pro-safe-sex attitudes from Salt-n-Pepa, but TLC has the boundless enthusiasm to make it all convincingly their own. What they dont always have are the songs to pull off a consistent album. The most infectious songs are naturally the singles: "Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg" is bouncy, catchy, and sexually assertive, and "What About Your Friends" is an equally danceable meditation on true friendship. The chart-topping ballad "Baby-Baby-Baby" is typically well-crafted Babyface, if a little by-the-numbers. Some of the album tracks keep the sense of fun going, but others fall flat -- not that theyre bad, they just arent that memorable. On the plus side, Left Eye gets a lot of space for her distinctively nasal, girlish rapping, and the entire group drops rhymes on "Das da Way We Like Em." Although its uneven, the best moments of On the TLC Tip deserved their popularity, and set the stage for the groups blockbuster success the next time out. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 12 Title: CrazySexyCool Released: 1994-11-15 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:01:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro‐lude (01:04) 2 Creep (04:26) 3 Kick Your Game (04:14) 4 Diggin’ on You (04:14) 5 Case of the Fake People (04:04) 6 CrazySexyCool (interlude) (01:42) 7 Red Light Special (05:04) 8 Waterfalls (04:40) 9 Intermission‐lude (00:43) 10 Let’s Do It Again (04:16) 11 If I Was Your Girlfriend (04:36) 12 Sexy (interlude) (01:35) 13 Take Our Time (04:34) 14 Can I Get a Witness (interlude) (02:56) 15 Switch (03:30) 16 Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes (04:28) 17 [untitled] (05:07) |
| CrazySexyCool : Allmusic album Review : On their second album, TLC downplay their overt rap connections, recording a smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince, powered by new jack and hip-hop beats. Lisa Lopes contributes the occasional rap, but the majority of CrazySexyCool belongs to Tionne Watkins and Rozonda Thomas. While they arent the most accomplished vocalists -- they have a tendency to be just slightly off-key -- the material they sing is consistently strong. As the cover of Princes "If I Was Your Girlfriend" indicates, TLC favor erotic, midtempo funk. Yet the group removes any of the psychosexual complexities of Princes songs, leaving a batch of sexy material that just sounds good, especially the hit singles. Both "Creep" and "Red Light Special" have a deep groove that accentuates the slinky hooks, but its "Waterfalls," with its gently insistent horns and guitar lines and instantly memorable chorus, that ranks as one of the classic R&B songs of the 90s. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 12 Title: FanMail Released: 1999-02-22 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:06:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 FanMail (03:59) 2 The Vic-E Interpretation (interlude) (00:18) 3 Silly Ho (04:15) 4 Whispering Playa (interlude) (00:52) 5 No Scrubs (03:35) 6 Im Good at Being Bad (04:37) 7 If They Knew (04:04) 8 I Miss You So Much (04:56) 9 Unpretty (04:39) 10 My Life (04:01) 11 Shout (03:57) 12 Come on Down (04:17) 13 Dear Lie (05:10) 14 Communicate (interlude) (00:51) 15 Lovesick (03:52) 16 Automatic (04:31) 17 Don’t Pull Out on Me Yet (04:33) 18 U in Me (03:50) |
| FanMail : Allmusic album Review : Crazysexycool was one of those records that defined an era. Few records before it combined hip-hop and classic soul songwriting quite as intoxicatingly or gracefully -- the performances and productions were utterly seamless. It would have been difficult to top anyway, but TLC had it doubly bad, since a number of behind-the-scenes problems delayed a sequel for nearly five years. As with any eagerly anticipated record, that follow-up, FanMail, arrived with too many expectations. And initially, it may be disappointing to realize TLC doesnt forge new ground with FanMail, but after a few spins, it settles in that nobody else makes urban soul quite as engaging as this. Not that it was easy to make this record, as the head-spinning list of collaborators indicates. Almost ten producers worked on the record, all trying to replicate the easy, appealing sound of Crazysexycool. And "replicate" is the right word, since there are no new innovations on FanMail, apart from a few lifts from the Timbaland book of tricks. Nevertheless, that may be for the best, since TLC and their army of producers have spent time crafting the songs and productions, turning FanMail into a record that almost reaches the peaks of its predecessor. By the end of the record, it appears that they can do it all -- funky, hip-hop-fueled dance-pop, seductive ballads, and mid-tempo jams -- and they can do it all well. Other groups try to reach these heights, but they dont have the skills or the material to pull it off quite so well. True, the five-year wait felt interminable, and theyre now standard-bearers instead of pioneers, but if takes TLC as long to make a sequel to FanMail, so be it -- they have one of the best track records in 90s urban soul. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 12 Title: 3D Released: 2002-11-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 3D (intro) (02:24) 2 Quickie (04:19) 3 Girl Talk (03:35) 4 Turntable (03:24) 5 In Your Arms Tonight (04:24) 6 Over Me (04:17) 7 Hands Up (03:48) 8 Damaged (03:52) 9 Dirty Dirty (03:40) 10 So So Dumb (04:05) 11 Good Love (04:12) 12 Hey Hey Hey Hey (04:05) 13 Give It to Me While It’s Hot (03:30) |
| 3D : Allmusic album Review : How good is TLC? So good that they survive the tragic, early death of a key member -- Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was killed in a car accident during the recording of 3D -- with grace and style, turning out a record that sits comfortably next to their modern classics, Crazysexycool and FanMail. Perhaps surviving members Chilli and T-Boz spend a little too much time in the lyrics paying tribute to their colleague, but its easy to glide past that and just concentrate on the strong songwriting and stylish production. Like their previous albums, the particulars dont matter as much as the overall impression. No member of TLC has an astounding voice, but their skills are exploited to the hilt, since the material not only suits them, its melodic, memorable, and grows in stature with each play. Best of all, the production plays to the strength of the song, balancing the groups character and abilities with the hooks and character of the song. Perhaps 3D doesnt blaze trails like their other albums, but it never plays it safe and it always satisfies, and its one of the best modern soul albums of 2002. A bittersweet triumph, perhaps, but its better to go out on a positive note. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 12 Title: Now & Forever: The Hits Released: 2003-11-24 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:17:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (04:08) 2 What About Your Friends (04:04) 3 Hat 2 Da Back (04:07) 4 Get It Up (04:14) 5 Baby-Baby-Baby (03:58) 6 Creep (04:26) 7 Red Light Special (04:37) 8 Waterfalls (04:18) 9 Diggin’ on You (04:14) 10 Kick Your Game (04:14) 11 Silly Ho (04:15) 12 No Scrubs (rap version) (03:38) 13 Unpretty (04:00) 14 Come Get Some (04:19) 15 Girl Talk (03:36) 16 Damaged (03:52) 17 Whoop De Woo (03:52) 18 In Your Arms Tonight (04:30) 19 Turntable (03:24) |
| Now & Forever: The Hits : Allmusic album Review : Released a little over a year after TLCs final posthumous 3D, Now and Forever: The Hits is a superb 19-track compilation of the trios heyday as the greatest girl group of the 90s. With the exception of the minor hits "Im Good at Being Bad," "Dear Lie," and the holiday single "Sleigh Ride," every one of their hit singles is here, including such decade-defining songs as "Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg," "Creep," "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs" (presented in its "Rap Version"), and "Unpretty," presented in a roughly chronological order. TLC had expertly crafted albums, especially in CrazySexyCool and FanMail, but their highlights always appeared on singles, and when theyre collected together as they are here, its not only an excellent career summary, its an addictive listen. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 12 Title: Crazy Sexy Hits: The Very Best of TLC Released: 2007-08-20 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:01:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 No Scrubs (03:37) 2 Waterfalls (04:18) 3 Creep (04:26) 4 Red Light Special (04:37) 5 Diggin’ on You (04:14) 6 Baby-Baby-Baby (03:58) 7 Come Get Some (04:19) 8 Girl Talk (03:36) 9 Damaged (03:52) 10 Whoop De Woo (03:52) 11 In Your Arms Tonight (04:30) 12 Get It Up (04:14) 13 What About Your Friends (04:04) 14 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (04:08) 15 Unpretty (04:00) |
 | Album: 7 of 12 Title: The Greatest Hits of TLC Released: 2008-03-24 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:04:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Scrubs (03:35) 2 Waterfalls (04:43) 3 Damaged (03:52) 4 If I Was Your Girlfriend (04:36) 5 Diggin’ on You (04:14) 6 In Your Arms Tonight (04:30) 7 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (04:08) 8 Over Me (04:17) 9 Creep (04:30) 10 Silly Ho (04:15) 11 Im Good at Being Bad (04:41) 12 Kick Your Gone (04:17) 13 Get It Up (04:14) 14 Give It to Me While It’s Hot (03:30) 15 I Miss You So Much (04:56) |
| The Greatest Hits of TLC : Allmusic album Review : Released in some European territories by Sony BMG in 2008, The Greatest Hits of TLC is missing too many highlights to be worthy of recommendation. No overview of the groups career should be without "Baby-Baby-Baby," "What About Your Friends," "Red Light Special," and "Unpretty" -- all major hits, none of which can be heard here. Apart from those major flaws, the set does include many of the hit singles, including "Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg," "Creep," "No Scrubs," and "Silly Ho." Better representations of TLC can be found on Now & Forever: The Hits, Playlist: The Very Best of TLC, and 20. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 12 Title: Very Best of TLC Released: 2009 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:03:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg (05:37) 2 Baby-Baby-Baby (05:15) 3 What About Your Friends (04:54) 4 Creep (04:29) 5 Red Light Special (05:05) 6 Waterfalls (04:40) 7 Diggin on You (04:15) 8 No Scrubs (03:34) 9 If I Was Your Girl Friend (04:37) 10 Unpretty (04:38) 11 Girl Talk (03:35) 12 Damaged (03:52) 13 Get It Up (04:24) 14 Das da Way We Like em (05:02) |
 | Album: 9 of 12 Title: We Love TLC Released: 2009-03-25 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:15:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Diggin on You (L.A.s live remix) (04:32) 2 No Scrubs (rap version) (03:38) 3 Girl Talk (03:35) 4 Waterfalls (04:40) 5 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (05:36) 6 Get It Up (04:14) 7 Creep (04:26) 8 Dear Lie (03:57) 9 I’m Good at Being Bad (05:39) 10 Silly Ho (04:15) 11 What It Aint (Ghetto Enuff) (05:09) 12 What About Your Friends (04:04) 13 Unpretty (Dont Look Any Further remix) (04:25) 14 Baby-Baby-Baby (03:58) 15 Red Light Special (05:02) 16 Turntable (03:24) 17 Waterfalls (DJ Komori remix) (04:26) |
 | Album: 10 of 12 Title: 20 Released: 2013-10-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 57:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (04:08) 2 What About Your Friends (04:04) 3 Baby-Baby-Baby (03:57) 4 Hat 2 da Back (04:05) 5 Creep (04:26) 6 Waterfalls (04:17) 7 Red Light Special (04:37) 8 Diggin’ on You (04:15) 9 Kick Your Game (04:13) 10 No Scrubs (03:36) 11 Unpretty (04:00) 12 Silly Ho (04:16) 13 Damaged (03:52) 14 Meant to Be (03:28) |
| 20 : Allmusic album Review : The sticker on the front of TLC 20 proclaims "Music inspired by VH1s film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story," which is neither actual nor factual. With the exception of one new song, "Meant to Be" -- a pleasant ballad co-written by Ne-Yo -- these songs were released during the early 90s through the early 2000s, long before the film was conceived. Keke Palmer, who portrayed Chilli, wasnt born until over a year after the release of Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip. Regardless, this set is a decent introduction to one of the biggest pop groups of the 90s. Released a week ahead of the films premiere, it features all nine of the groups Hot 100 Top Ten singles, from 1992s "Aint 2 Proud 2 Beg" through 1999s "Unpretty," along with a handful of relatively minor hits, album cuts, and the new song. It could have gone deeper -- as deep as the 19-track Now & Forever: The Hits (2003), at least. Theres much more to enjoy beyond whats here. The group made three of the best 90s pop-R&B; albums, and 2002s 3D was no embarrassment. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 12 Title: 20: Unreleased Released: 2016-10-18 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:08:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Gameproof (04:17) 2 Miracles (04:17) 3 Its Alright (02:46) 4 Someday (03:54) 5 U Got Me Open (03:40) 6 Miracles (03:31) 7 Glidin (03:42) 8 Straight Jack (05:07) 9 Dumb Dumb Dumb (03:13) 10 Fantasies (01:32) 11 My Secret Enemy (05:34) 12 Creep 96 (05:25) 13 I Need That (04:22) 14 Lets Just Do It (04:38) 15 Left Pimpin (04:31) 16 Whos It Gonna Be (04:00) 17 Start Off New (03:35) |
 | Album: 12 of 12 Title: TLC Released: 2017-06-30 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Introduction (03:02) 2 Way Back (03:46) 3 Its Sunny (03:23) 4 Haters (02:40) 5 Perfect Girls (03:05) 6 Interlude (01:11) 7 Start a Fire (04:02) 8 American Gold (03:38) 9 Scandalous (03:32) 10 Aye MuthaFucka (03:16) 11 Way Back (extended) (04:26) |
| TLC : Allmusic album Review : After 3D, an album released months after the death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas continued as TLC in fits and starts. For a period of 15 years, as TLC became increasingly revered for their 1992-2002 run -- as the platinum-selling, Grammy-winning link between Klymaxx and Destinys Child -- T-Boz and Chilli rarely recorded, their profile temporarily increased with a 2005 reality series and a 2013 biographical film. Made with crowd-funding assistance, this is said to be the final TLC album, though T-Boz and Chilli intend to continue touring. Fan support presumably enabled the duos connections with an extended cast of songwriters and producers, which includes most prominently Ron Fair, also the albums executive producer. Although the duo dont reunite with any of their previous hitmaking studio partners -- that means no Babyface, Dallas Austin, or Organized Noize -- theyre not too proud to reminisce on the feel-good "Way Back," produced by DMile with a guest verse from Snoop Dogg, and "Perfect Girls" from its consoling words regarding self-image to its gentle acoustic guitar, its unmistakably an "Unpretty" sequel. There are hints of assertive attitude in "Aye Muthafucka," and theres a sensual slow jam in the form of "Scandalous," yet a greater portion of the album is suited more for Radio Disney than for Hot 97. "Haters" especially seems like it was written for a teen pop group, while another single, "Its Sunny," incorporates Bobby Hebbs "Sunny" and Earth, Wind & Fires "September" with similarly youthful results. One-and-a-half decades had little effect on T-Boz, who unsurprisingly handles the vast majority of the vocals, sounding no different than she did in the early 2000s. As moving as it is to hear her and Chilli together for another album, the material is not up to par with TLCs past. Flashbacks are more likely than repeat play. | ||