CrazySexyCool | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 15, 1994 | |||
Recorded | December 1993 – September 1994 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 56:10 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
TLC chronology | ||||
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Singles from CrazySexyCool | ||||
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CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip in 1992 to positive reviews and commercial success. The group began working on a follow-up in 1993 but experienced an unproductive recording process due to personal issues, notably those of member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who was struggling with alcoholism and her volatile relationship with football player Andre Rison. The album's recording lasted until September 1994, with Lopes' role diminished while she was in rehab.
CrazySexyCool saw the group reunite with producers Dallas Austin, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Jermaine Dupri, as well as new collaborators Organized Noize and Chucky Thompson. It also featured contributions from Sean "Puffy" Combs, who helped with the notable hip hop soul sound; the album featured hip hop beats, funk, deep grooves, propulsive rhythms, and smooth production. The album's lyrical content was seen as a departure from the group's debut and was seen as a coming-of-age project which explored themes such as sexuality, romanticism, inexperience, and youthful optimism.
CrazySexyCool was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200, a chart on which it stayed for over two years. It has been certified 12-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making TLC the first girl group in history to be awarded diamond status. It has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by an American girl group. It has also been featured on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die , and was listed as a "New Classic" by Entertainment Weekly in 2008. [1] The album was ranked at number seven on Billboard 's list of the best diamond-certified albums of all time. [2]
On February 28, 1991, Tionne Watkins and Lisa Lopes signed production, management, and publishing deals with Pebbitone, [3] with Perri Reid becoming their general manager. The two-member TLC-Skee made its first recorded appearance on a track for LaFace act Damian Dame's self-titled 1991 LP. [4] Pebbles found the third member in Rozonda Thomas, one of Damian Dame's part-time backup dancers.
Thomas was signed to the act in April 1991, [3] at about which time the group's name was shortened to TLC. To maintain TLC's name as an acronym for the girls' names, Watkins became "T-Boz", Lopes became "Left-Eye", and Thomas became "Chilli." The girls were then signed to LaFace in May through the production deal with Pebbitone; [3] their records would be distributed by Arista Records/BMG. TLC was immediately set up to go into the studio with Reid and Edmonds, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Marley Marl producing their first album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip . The new trio debuted as backing vocalists on "Rebel (With a Cause)", a track on Jermaine Jackson's sole album for LaFace, You Said (1991). [5]
Production on Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip wrapped up in December 1991. [6] The album reached number 14 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [7] [8] According to Nielsen SoundScan, it has sold 2.5 million copies in the US. [9] It was eventually certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping four million copies in the US. [10]
Lopes was often vocal about her personal life and difficult past. She readily admitted that she had come from an abusive, alcoholic background and struggled with alcohol problems herself. These problems became headline news in 1994, when she set fire to Andre Rison's tennis shoes in a bathtub, which ultimately spread to the mansion they shared, destroying it. Lopes claimed that Rison had beaten her after a night out, and she set fire to his shoes to get back at him. However, she said burning down the house was an accident. Lopes later revealed that she did not have a lot of freedom within the relationship and was abused mentally and physically, having released all her frustrations on the night of the fire. [11] Lopes, who was sentenced to five years probation and therapy at a halfway house, was never able to shake the incident from her reputation. [12] Her relationship with Rison continued to make headlines, with rumors of an imminent wedding, later debunked by People magazine. [13]
The album's recording began in late 1993 and continued through till September 1994. [14] The album was recorded at numerous studios, including Doppler Studios, Bosstown Recording Studios, KrossWire Studio and GADaddy's; D.A.R.P. Studios in Atlanta, Georgia; the Music Grinder Studios in Los Angeles, California; and The Hit Factory in New York City. [15]
During the album's recording, Lopes was forced to have less of an input, as she had pled guilty in an arson accident and was sent to a rehab facility as punishment. [16] The rehab facility only released her for a couple of recording sessions, during which time she cut just a handful of album-worthy rap verses.
For the album's production and writing, the group worked with producers including Babyface, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and more. Thomas stated that they had used these producers because they always worked with them stating that they worked with Dallas, Babyface, and Dupri on the first album "the only thing we had new was Organized Noize." [17] Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest did the interludes. However, during the album's recording, the band members were not always in the studio together; sometimes they went in one by one due to scheduling conflicts. [17]
"Waterfalls" was written by Lopes with Marqueze Etheridge and Organized Noize, who also produced the song. Watkins and Thomas perform the song with Lopes, who also provides a rap. The background vocals are performed by the members of TLC, as well as Debra Killings and Cee-Lo Green. Speaking of Green's involvement, Watkins said, "He was in Goodie Mob, we grew up together, we go way back. He did and it was amazing! I love his voice." [18] The lyrics of the song reference 1990s issues such as violence associated with illegal drug trade and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. [19] At the end of the second verse, Watkins sings, "His health is fading and he doesn't know why / Three letters took him to his final resting place." She said that it was important for the group to "get the message across without seeming like preaching." [20]
CrazySexyCool was a rebellious and free from the traditional R&B norms that weighed the genre down. That edginess, that swagger can't be replaced without its ties to hip-hop. There's something to be said for how fresh and balanced it sounded, how different it was, and how little it seemed to care about observing R&B convention. To me, that was half the appeal: It was sensual R&B with fiery hip-hop spirit.
— Sheldon Pearce, Consequence of Sound [21]
CrazySexyCool was noted as a departure from the group's debut, and was seen as move away from the group's predominantly rap connections. The songs on the album contained sensual R&B sounds built over edgy hip-hop beats; containing propulsive rhythms along with clap-commanding high production, bouncy funk elements and smooth rhythms. [21]
The album's lyrical content was also seen as a departure from Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip . A reviewer from Entertainment Weekly stated that compared to the lyrical content of their debut, which was seen as "kiddie-cute hip-hop", CrazySexyCool is filled with adult-female sexuality, and "hide- and-seek coyness." [22] It was seen as a coming-of-age sophomore album, according to Sheldon Pearce from Consequence of Sound, who stated the album had themes of "guileless and horny twenty something" lyrics that harmlessly explored sexuality and romanticism with the "naïveté that comes from inexperience and youthful optimism." [21] The album lyrics also touch upon themes of relationships from both the impassioned and erotic sides. [21]
To promote CrazySexyCool, TLC—along with Boyz II Men, Montell Jordan, and Mary J. Blige—performed in the annual Budweiser Superfest Tour in early 1995, consisting of 23 dates in North America. The Atlanta, Chicago and Indianapolis shows featured an expanded roster of performers, including Blackstreet and Monica. [23]
All four singles from the album reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, two of them reaching number one.
Lead single, "Creep", topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, and was one of the biggest singles of 1995, coming in at number three in Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1995. It also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The second single, "Red Light Special", peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The third single, "Waterfalls", became TLC's most successful song, spending seven weeks at number one. It was also the second-biggest single of 1995 according to Billboard, earning TLC two songs in the top three of the 1995 Billboard year-end chart. Internationally, the song reached the top five in several countries.
"Diggin' on You" was released as the album's fourth and final single, and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [24] |
Chicago Tribune | [25] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | B+ [26] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [27] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [22] |
The Guardian | [28] |
Los Angeles Times | [29] |
Pitchfork | 9.3/10 [30] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [31] |
CrazySexyCool was met with critical acclaim. In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album as a "smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince", adding that the material was "consistently strong". [24] Erlewine continued to write that the album is "powered" by new jack swing and hip-hop beats with influences of mid-tempo funk, deep grooves, horns and guitar lines. [24] He also referred to "Waterfalls" as "one of the classic R&B songs of the '90s". [24]
In Rolling Stone 's review for "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", the article stated that TLC "emerged with the most effervescent and soulful girl-group R&B anyone had seen since the Supremes." [32]
In 2010, Rolling Stone listed the album at number 43 on their "100 Greatest Albums of the 90s". They stated: "Left Eye, Chilli and T-Boz looked like a one-shot when they first emerged from the nascent Atlanta with 1992's Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg. But CrazySexyCool was a real shocker, packed bumper to bumper with great songs, sassy vocals and voluptuous beats for burning down the house. 'Creep' celebrates the kicks of illicit lust on the down low, 'Waterfalls' digs deep into Memphis soul and 'If I Was Your Girlfriend' does Prince better than The Artist has all decade. The showstopper: 'Red Light Special', an impossibly steamy make-out ballad that undresses and caresses everyone with ears to hear it. CrazySexyCool established TLC as pop pros who could do it all, combining the body slam of hip-hop and the giddy uplift of a jump-rope rhyme without breaking a nail." [33]
In a 2015 article for Consequence of Sound , music critics Michael Madden and Sheldon Pearce write about how the album has impacted artists well into today's era whose R&B sound has been heavily influenced by strong hip-hop elements. "There should probably be more talk of TLC's role in forging the current R&B landscape, which is heavily, if not entirely, influenced by hip-hop culture now. The two genres have seemingly been grafted onto one another, and there's something of a codependent relationship between the two. To that effect, there's something to be said for that dynamic existing here, too, how the album's sequencing contributes to the music's effectiveness and how it still translates to the modern day." [21]
CrazySexyCool debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, selling 77,500 copies in its first week. [34] On the issue dated July 29, 1995, the album peaked at number three with 117,000 units sold. [35] The album was certified 12-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 11, 2019, [36] and as of July 2017, it had sold 7.7 million copies in the United States, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in the country; [37] it had sold an additional 1.27 million copies through the BMG Music Club as of February 2003. [38] Internationally, it reached number one in New Zealand, as well as the top five in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. As of July 2006, CrazySexyCool had sold over 15 million copies worldwide. [39]
CrazySexyCool was nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards. "Waterfalls" was nominated for the Record of the Year. Two of the album's nominations were for its songwriters: Dallas Austin for "Creep", and Babyface for "Red Light Special". TLC ended up winning two awards, Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Creep".
TLC also received multiple wins and nominations at the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards, including Artist of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, TLC won four awards for the video to "Waterfalls", including Video of the Year and the Viewer's Choice Award.
Organization | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Billboard | United States | All 92 Diamond-Certified Albums Ranked from Worst to Best: Critic's Take | 2016 | 7 | [2] |
Complex | United States | The Best R&B Albums of '90s | 2017 | 4 | [40] |
Entertainment Weekly | United States | The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 | 2008 | 36 | [1] |
The Face | United Kingdom | The Face Recordings of the Year | 1999 | 27 | [41] |
NPR | United States | The 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women | 2017 | 26 | [42] |
Q | United Kingdom | Q Readers Greatest Albums Ever | 2003 | 77 | [43] |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | United States | The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time | 2007 | 105 | [44] |
Rolling Stone | United States | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | 377 | [45] |
2012 | 379 | [32] | |||
2020 | 218 | [46] | |||
Vibe | United States | The 150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era | 2007 | Unranked | [47] |
Tour by TLC | |
Location | North America |
---|---|
Associated album | CrazySexyCool |
Start date | September 3, 2021 |
End date | October 10, 2021 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 18 |
Supporting acts | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony |
TLC concert chronology |
Celebration of CrazySexyCool is a concert tour of American group TLC. This tour, serving as a celebration of the first album by a girl group to reach Diamond status, comes 27 years after the album release. Consisting of 18 dates across the United States, this tour celebrates what Chilli describes as "the album that really put [TLC] on the map", [48] as the group perform selected songs from the 1994 album, as well as other hits.
This set list is from the September 14, 2021 concert in Sterling Heights. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the tour.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro-lude" (featuring Phife) |
| 1:03 | |
2. | "Creep" | Dallas Austin | Austin | 4:28 |
3. | "Kick Your Game" |
|
| 4:14 |
4. | "Diggin' on You" | Kenneth Edmonds | Babyface | 4:14 |
5. | "Case of the Fake People" | Austin | Austin | 4:04 |
6. | "CrazySexyCool – Interlude" |
| 1:42 | |
7. | "Red Light Special" | Edmonds | Babyface | 5:03 |
8. | "Waterfalls" |
| Organized Noize | 4:39 |
9. | "Intermission-lude" | Dupri | 0:42 | |
10. | "Let's Do It Again" |
|
| 4:16 |
11. | "If I Was Your Girlfriend" | Prince Nelson |
| 4:36 |
12. | "Sexy – Interlude" |
|
| 1:34 |
13. | "Take Our Time" |
|
| 4:34 |
14. | "Can I Get a Witness – Interlude" (featuring Busta Rhymes) |
|
| 2:57 |
15. | "Switch" |
|
| 3:30 |
16. | "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" (featuring Dre of Outkast) |
| Organized Noize | 4:28 |
Total length: | 56:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Creep" (Super Smooth mix) | 4:43 |
2. | "Red Light Special" (L.A.'s Flava mix) | 4:27 |
3. | "Waterfalls" (ONP remix) | 4:33 |
4. | "My Secret Enemy" (Red Light Special single B-side) | 5:35 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of CrazySexyCool. [15]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [85] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [86] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [87] | 8× Platinum | 800,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [88] | 2× Platinum | 400,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [89] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [90] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [91] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [36] | 12× Platinum | 8,970,000 [lower-alpha 8] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [93] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 15,000,000 [39] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Lisa Nicole Lopes, better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. She was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping and singing on TLC recordings, Lopes was the creative force behind the group, receiving more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed some of their outfits and the stage for their FanMail Tour and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.
TLC is an American girl group formed in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The group's best-known line-up was composed of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The group enjoyed success during the 1990s, with nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty". The group also recorded four multi-platinum albums, including CrazySexyCool (1994), which received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). TLC became the first R&B group in history to receive the million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for FanMail (1999).
FanMail is the third studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 23, 1999, by LaFace and Arista Records. The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans who sent them fan mail during their hiatus. FanMail debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 318,000 copies in its first week of release, and spent five weeks at number one.
Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which had incorporated hip-hop influences into R&B music. By contrast, hip hop soul is, as described in The Encyclopedia of African American Music, "quite literally soul singing over hip hop grooves".
"Waterfalls" is a song by American hip-hop group TLC, released by LaFace and Arista as the third single from their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), on May 22, 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on July 24, 1995.
3D is the fourth studio album by American girl group TLC, released on October 10, 2002, by Arista Records. Recorded from May 2001 to July 2002, much of the album was finalized after the death of member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, with her unreleased material that she had recorded for her solo albums Supernova and N.I.N.A. being reworked into new songs. Remaining group members Rozonda Thomas and Tionne Watkins enlisted Dallas Austin, Babyface, Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, Raphael Saadiq, Missy Elliott and Timbaland to work on the album.
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. The title of the album comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".
Now & Forever: The Hits is the first greatest hits album by American girl group TLC. It was released by Arista Records on September 30, 2003, in Japan, on November 24, 2003, in the United Kingdom and on June 21, 2005, in North America. It was initially meant to be titled Still Crazy...Always Sexy...Forever Cool and was planned for a November 25, 2003 release in the United States.
"Creep" is a song recorded by American singing group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). Dallas Austin, who tried to write the track from a "female perspective", wrote and produced it. It is based on member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins's experience with infidelity. The lyrics portray the singers as women who cheat on their unfaithful lovers for "some affection". This context was controversial within the group, and strongly opposed by member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who threatened to wear black tape over her mouth on its accompanying music video.
"Baby-Baby-Baby" is a song by American girl group TLC. It was the second single released from their debut studio album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992), and their second consecutive top-10 hit. It was the most successful single from the album, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, giving them their first number-one single on that chart.
"What About Your Friends" is a song by American group TLC, released as the third single from their debut album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992). It was released on August 21, 1992, and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's third consecutive top-10 single. A remix to the single, titled "What About Your Friends " includes the first ever appearance by the Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast.
"Red Light Special" is a song by American vocal girl group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). Written and produced by Babyface, LaFace and Arista Records released the song as the second single from the album on February 17, 1995. The song achieved chart success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Matthew Rolston filmed its music video, which features the group performing in a brothel.
"Diggin' on You" is a song by American girl group TLC, from the group's second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). The song was written and produced by Babyface. It was released by LaFace and Arista Records on October 10, 1995, as the fourth and final single from their album. A pop ballad, the song consists of a guitar, synthesizer and drum machine. The lyrics depict a relationship between a male and female during a summer afternoon.
"Hat 2 da Back" is a song by American girl group TLC from their debut studio album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992). It was released as the album's fourth and final single. The song contains samples of "Big Ole Butt" by LL Cool J and "What Makes You Happy" by KC and the Sunshine Band. "Hat 2 da Back" reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart.
American R&B group TLC has released five studio albums, 13 compilation albums, six video albums, 25 singles, 11 promotional singles, and 24 music videos.
The Very Best of TLC: Crazy Sexy Hits is the second greatest hits album by American girl group TLC. It was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2007, by Sony BMG. Having a similar track listing to that of the group's first compilation, Now & Forever: The Hits (2003), the album contains TLC's most successful singles from four of their studio albums, which have been credited to many of the group's producers such as Dallas Austin and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
The Icon Is Love is the nineteenth studio album by American R&B singer Barry White, which was released on October 4, 1994, on A&M Records. The album represented a major comeback for White both critically and commercially, and went on to become easily his most successful album since his 1970s heyday.
"Kick Your Game" is a song recorded by the American group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). The "funky" R&B-dance track was written by frequent group collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal and member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. On August 26, 1995 it was picked by LaFace and Arista Records for release as a promotional airplay single from the album. In the song's lyrics, TLC teaches boys who flirt in a club "the proper way to approach a lady"; Lopes' rap verses reportedly referred to then-boyfriend Andre Rison, whose house she burned down during the making of CrazySexyCool.
CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story is a 2013 American biographical television film about the R&B and hip hop musical trio TLC. Directed by Charles Stone III, written by Kate Lanier, and named after the group's 1994 album CrazySexyCool, the film stars Keke Palmer as Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, Niatia "Lil Mama" Kirkland as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Drew Sidora as Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. The real-life Thomas and Watkins also served as executive producers of the film.
20 is a compilation album by American girl group TLC. It was released on October 15, 2013, by Epic and LaFace Records, marking both the group's 20-plus year legacy in entertainment business and the release of their biographical VH1 original film, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which largely inspired the track listing for 20. Many of their hits are featured, including their four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty", as well as "Meant to Be", a new track co-written by singer Ne-Yo. Most of the tracks are featured in the original radio format, like on their previous compilation album Now and Forever: The Hits, and "No Scrubs" is featured in its original radio version with an accompanying rap of Left Eye.