The album was so popular in the mid-90s that I wanted to revisit it to learn more about it.
It always helps to understand a group's music if you know a few fun facts about the artists. TLC was composed of three women with diverse backgrounds:
Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins is the bleached-blonde, deep voiced, leader of the group.(2) She grew up in Iowa singing in church choirs. She is of African-American and Native American descent.(3) When she was young, her family moved to Atlanta, where she would eventually perform at an audition for a singing group that would become TLC.
Lisa "Left-Eye" was the pig-tailed rapper who featured more prominently on their debut album Oooooooooh.. On the TLC Tip. She is of Cape Verdean descent.(4) Her family traveled frequently because her father was in the Army. She settled in Atlanta where she joined as a rapper in a group with Rozonda Thomas. I learned from a RollingStone article that Lisa Lopes burned down the mansion of her husband, football player Andre Rison, after they got into a fight. Apparently she lit his shoes on fire in a bathtub when the fire spread to the whole house and burned it down! Call for a divorce? Nope. They stayed together! Tragically, Lopes died in a car accident in 2002.
Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas was born and raised in Atlanta. She was a dancer in an R+B group before meeting Lisa Lopes in 1991. Thomas is of African American and West Indian descent.(5) Following the breakup of TLC, she ventured into the world of acting and was featured on many TV shows.
If you are older than 30 your first recollection of TLC was probably the trio's 80s style, complete with oversized white clothing splashed with lots of color. They had very successful tracks from their first album, Ooooooh... on the TLC Tip, like "What About Your Friends," "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," and "Baby-Baby-Baby." The style was a mix of R+B and Hip Hop called new jack swing. Other examples of new jack swing are Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" and Boyz II Men's "Motownphilly."
Any artist seeking success in the early 90s had to ditch the strange 80s clothing style and adopt beats that were either hard gangsta rap or soft, smooth, soulful tracks that emphasized singing.* For CrazySexyCool, the members got together with Babyface, Jermaine Dupris (remember Jay-Z collaboration and Da Brat), and Sean "Puffy" Combs to create the latter. Lopes' raps were kept to a minimum, drum machines were ditched for softer melodies, and the topic of female empowerment, though present in the newer album, was overtaken by overtly sexual songs.
Rozonda Thomas said in an interview with Billboard in 1994 that the women were expressing themselves in more mature ways on the new album. CrazySexyCool has "stronger voices, closer harmonies, tighter raps, and more ballads" than their debut. Regarding the title of the album Thomas said, "Left-Eye is Crazy, I'm Sexy, and T-Boz is Cool."(6)
"Creep" was released just before the album itself in October 1994. It was followed by "Red Light Special," "Waterfalls," and "Diggin' On You." The album was so successful that it earned them six Grammy nominations. It won for Best R+B album, and "Creep" won for Best R+B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Even more, TLC became the best selling female group in the United States, and second in the world behind the Spice Girls.(7) CrazySexyCool is #379 out of 500 on RollingStone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, right behind Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory.(8)
Lesser-known tracks on the album are the intros and interludes, none of which would receive radio play, except maybe on 95.5 WBRU on Sundays. Tracks 1 and 2 are intro- and inter-ludes featuring Jermaine Dupris. They are boring and are meant to just set the stage for the next song. Track 6, titled "CrazySexyCool," has T-Boz talking about herself and her bandmates with Puff Daddy saying little fillers in the background to a simple beat. Track 14, titled "Can I Get a Witness," is meant to mirror track 7 in beat and style, but this time Busta Rhymes is talking about what he wants in a girl with Left-Eye saying the fillers.
Other lesser-known tracks worth mentioning are "Kick Your Game," "Case of the Fake People," and "Switch." The seductive, overtly sexual nature of songs like "Kick Your Game" remind me of songs by Keith Sweat and R. Kelly. There is no denying the message of these tracks: You want it, and I got it! "Case of the Fake People" reminds me of the group's earlier song, "What About Your Friends" because it discusses the loyalty of friendships, especially following money and success. In "Switch" T-Boz gives relationship advice with a sound not unlike En Vogue. These songs most likely would not make it on the top 40 charts, but they make for a complete album when combined with the headliners.
Check out the album! It's worth another listen!
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfalls_(TLC_song)
2 "Burn, Baby, Burn."Cooper, Carol. Rolling Stone (Aug 24, 1995): 27-28.
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/celebvocate-t-boz-recruits-bone-marrow-donors/2011/07/06/gIQArIUG1H_blog.html
3. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519912/bio
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rozonda_Thomas
* When I talk about the choice that had to be made between gangsta rap and R+B I mean most groups had to sound like either Coolio or R. Kelly. Eventually, the term "rap" would be replaced by Hip Hop and the two genres would overlap much more. Think about Chris Brown songs. They are both Hip Hop and R+B.
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrazySexyCool
6. "LaFace Trio TLC is Back, With a New Maturity." Reynolds, R.J. Billboard Oct 1, 1994; 106, 40.
7. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/tlc-crazysexycool-20120524
More album cover art and lyrics can be seen at the blog: http://encartespop.blogspot.com/2010/08/encarte-tlc-crazysexycool.html
No comments:
Post a Comment