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album reviews

TLC

CrazySexyCool 8 ( 1994 )
Intro-lude / Creep / Kick Your Game / Diggin' On You / Case Of The Fake People / CrazySexyCool / Red Light Special / Waterfalls / Intermission-lude / Let's Do It Again / If I Was Your Girlfriend / Sexy - Interlude / Take Our Time / Can I Get A Witness - Interlude / Switch / Sumthin' Wicked This Comes Way

This is the album where Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins hit the big time. A couple of classic songs, lots of smooth grooves and a mega bestseller. What more could you ask for? We have a special blend of voices. All three of these women are wonderful singers individually, when they combine together, something just happens. You can't exactly explain it, there are dozens of groups of a similar format and style. TLC are apart from them by defintion of that magical vocal blend. A blend I can't describe! Well, lets get on with things then, shall we? After 'Intro-Lude' was fairly pointlessly kicked things off, being nothing more than less than a minute of a short rap solo spot, we move onto the real deal. 'Creep' is a wonderful, flowing, sophisticated song its impossible to hate. And, very easy to love. We have the grooves, sleek and slick, but most importantly those vocals. 'Kick Your Game' follows this and is by no means as special, featuring guest rap spots, a fairly standard song structure and nothing to really set it apart. Its not bad, just not the special mix of before. We still have bursts of great vocals from our three main protagonists, of course!

'Diggin On You' is smooth! No other word will do. A few tracks in the centre of the record don't reach out, but 'Waterfalls' certainly does. A song co-written by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez it remains one of their finest moments to this day, and quite possibly one of THE finest moments in recent Soul/R'n'B history. The melody is memorable, the lyrics are revealing and inspiring and the whole thing is topped off with more great vocals. A special, special song, no doubt about it. Nothing on the remainder of the record reaches these same heights, its fair to say. 'Take Our Nice' is an affecting, beautiful ballad however and 'Lets Do It Again' another song to take home with you and remember. A quality album, no doubt about it. Not perfect, but the highpoints are spread out well and the record as a whole is regarded as something of a genre classic.

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