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CrazySexyCool

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.

Background
Debut album On February 28, 1991, Tionne Watkins and Lisa Lopes signed production, management, and publishing deals with Pebbitone, 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. 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, signed TLC and served as executive producer on both the group's debut and its follow-up, CrazySexyCool Production on Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip wrapped up in December 1991. The album reached number 14 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It was eventually certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping four million copies in the US. Personal struggles 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. Lopes, who was sentenced to five years probation and therapy at a halfway house, was never able to shake the incident from her reputation. Her relationship with Rison continued to make headlines, with rumors of an imminent wedding, later debunked by People magazine. ==Recording==
Recording
The album's recording began in late 1993 and continued through till September 1994. 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. 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." 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. The lyrics of the song reference 1990s issues such as violence associated with illegal drug trade and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 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." ==Music and lyrics==
Music and lyrics
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. 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." 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." The album lyrics also touch upon themes of relationships from both the impassioned and erotic sides. ==Release and promotion==
Release and promotion
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. 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. ==Critical reception==
Critical reception
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". 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." 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." ==Commercial performance==
Commercial performance
CrazySexyCool debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, selling 77,500 copies in its first week. On the issue dated July 29, 1995, the album peaked at number three with 117,000 units sold. The album was certified 12-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 11, 2019, it had sold an additional 1.27 million copies through the BMG Music Club as of February 2003. 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 23 million copies worldwide. ==Accolades==
Accolades
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. ==Celebration of CrazySexyCool==
Celebration of CrazySexyCool
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", as the group perform selected songs from the 1994 album, as well as other hits. Set list This set list is from the September 14, 2021 concert in Sterling Heights. It is not intended to represent all concerts for the tour. • "Creep" • "Hat 2 da Back" • "Kick Your Game" • "Girl Talk" • "Case of the Fake People" • "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" • "What About Your Friends" • "Silly Ho" • "FanMail" • "Way Back" • "American Gold" • "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" • "Unpretty" • "Take Our Time" • "Red Light Special" • "Diggin' on You" • "Baby-Baby-Baby" • "No Scrubs" • "Waterfalls" ==Track listing==
Track listing
Notes • signifies a co-producer • The single vinyl LP edition omits "Case of the Fake People" and "Intermission-lude". Sample credits • "Creep" contains a sample of "Hey Young World" by Slick Rick. • "Switch" contains a sample of "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight. ==Personnel==
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of CrazySexyCool. MusiciansPhife – guest appearance • Dallas Austin – instruments ; keyboards, drums ; additional keyboards • Sol Messiah – scratching • Rick Sheppard – MIDI, sound design • Debra Killings – background vocals • Jermaine Dupri – additional vocals • LaMarquis "Marq" Jefferson – bass • Babyface – synthesizers, drum programming • T-Boz – background vocals • Chilli – background vocals • Bebé – background vocals • Chucky Thompson – all instruments ; keyboards, bass, drums • Sean "Puffy" Combs – ad-libs • Dwight Sills – guitar • Organized Noize – drum programming ; keyboards ; keyboard programming • Kenneth Wright – Wurlitzer keyboards • Jerry Lloyd – horns • Ronnie Fitch – horns • Charles Nix – horns • Shock – horn arrangements • Edward Stroud – guitar • TLC – background vocals • Thomas "Cee-Lo" Burton – background vocals • Jon-John – synthesizers, drum programming • Colin Wolfe – additional bass • Arnold Hennings – keyboards, drums • Tim Kelley – keyboards • Shorty B – guitar • Mike Patterson – MIDI, sound design • Busta Rhymes – guest appearance • Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – ad-libs • Trey Lorenz – background vocals • Dre of Outkast – guest appearance • Sir Dean Gant – keyboards • Craig Love – guitar • Martin Terry – guitar • Carlos Glover – bass Technical • Jermaine Dupri – recording ; mixing ; production ; remix • John Frye – recording assistance ; mixing assistance • Phil Tan – mixing ; recording • Dallas Austin – production ; co-production ; executive production • Alvin Speights – recording ; mixing • Leslie Brathwaite – recording ; mixing • Carl Glover – recording assistance • Brian Smith – recording assistance • Manuel Seal – co-production • Brian Frye – recording assistance • Babyface – production ; executive production • Brad Gilderman – recording • Eric Fischer – recording assistance • Lamont Hyde – recording assistance • Dave Way – mixing • Chucky Thompson – production • Sean "Puffy" Combs – production • Rich Travali – recording, mixing • Organized Noize – production • Nealhpogue – recording ; mixing • Bernasky – recording assistance ; mixing assistance • Rico Lumpkins – recording assistance, mixing assistance • Mike Wilson – recording assistance • Jon-John – production • Nash – recording • Arnold Hennings – production • Mike Patterson – recording • Scott Little – recording assistance • Ron Gresham – mixing • NHP Sound, Inc. – recording • Carlos Glover – recording • Blake Eiseman – recording • Alex Lowe – recording assistance • Herb Powers Jr. – mastering • Antonio M. Reid – executive production • Sharliss Asbury – project coordination • Ivy Skoff – project coordination Artwork • Davett Singletary – creative direction • Christopher Stern – art direction • Dah Len – photography ==Charts==
Charts
Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts All-time charts ==Certifications and sales==
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