CrazySexyCool

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CrazySexyCool
Studio album by TLC
Released November 15, 1994 (1994-11-15)
(see Release history)
Recorded March – September 1994
Genre R&B, hip hop soul
Length 56:10
Label LaFace, Arista
Producer Dallas Austin, Babyface, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Tim & Bob, Jermaine Dupri, Jon-John, Manuel Seal, Organized Noize, Chucky Thompson
TLC chronology
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip
(1992)		 CrazySexyCool
(1994)		 FanMail
(1999)
Singles from CrazySexyCool
  1. "Creep"
    Released: October 31, 1994
  2. "Red Light Special"
    Released: February 21, 1995
  3. "Waterfalls"
    Released: May 29, 1995
  4. "Diggin' on You"
    Released: October 30, 1995

CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American girl group TLC. Released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994, the album peaked at three on the Billboard 200 and spent over two years on the Billboard album charts,[1] The album spawned two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, including the worldwide smash hit, "Waterfalls", and earned them two Grammy Awards.

The album was certified Diamond by the RIAA, making TLC the first girl group in history to be awarded diamond status.

CrazySexyCool has sold over 23 million copies worldwide,[2] becoming the best-selling album by a girl group in the United States, and the second best-selling album worldwide by a girl group behind Spice Girls' Spice.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 377 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Contents

Background Information [edit]

During early 1994, TLC re-entered the studio with Dallas Austin, Tim & Bob, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Organized Noize, and Sean "Puffy" Combs to record their second album.

The album moved away from the rap elements from their previous album, in favour of a smoother, seductive, r&b/soul sound. It relied heavily on the vocals from Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and featured less raps vocals by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.

The title refers to the personalities of the members that make up the group; "Left Eye" representing the "crazy", "Chilli" being the "sexy", and "T-Boz" being the "cool". Together, the three words make "CrazySexyCool".

Singles [edit]

All four singles from the album reached the Top 5 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 it 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.

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, giving TLC two songs in the Top 3 of the 1995 Billboard Year-End chart. Internationally, the song reached the Top 5 of many countries.

"Diggin' on You" was released as the album's fourth and final single, and reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

Reception [edit]

Critical response [edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[3]
Entertainment Weekly B+[4]
Robert Christgau B+[5]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[6]
Uncut 3/5 stars[7]
Sputnikmusic 4/5 stars[8]
Yahoo! Music (favorable)[9]

The album was met with positive reviews. In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that TLC recorded a "smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince", and that the material was "consistently strong".[10] He also referred to "Waterfalls" as "one of the classic R&B songs of the '90s".[10]

Rolling Stone, in their review for The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, stated that TLC "emerged with the most effervescent and soulful girl-group R&B anyone had seen since the Supremes"[11]

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." [12]

Commercial performance [edit]

The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spent over two years on the chart. It was the fifth-best selling album in the United States in 1995, and was eventually certified diamond and 11× Platinum by the RIAA. Internationally, it reached the Top 5 of many countries. 'It has sold over 23 million copies worldwide,[2] becoming the best-selling album by a girl group in the United States, and the second best-selling album worldwide by a girl group behind Spice Girls' Spice.

Awards and nominations [edit]

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 Diggin' On You. TLC ended up winning two awards, Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Creep".

Year Recipient Award Result
1996 CrazySexyCool Best R&B Album Won
"Waterfalls" Record Of The Year Nominated
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Nominated
"Creep" Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Won
Best Best R&B Song - nomination for Dallas Austin Nominated
"Diggin' On You" Best Best R&B Song - nomination for Babyface Nominated

TLC also received multiple wins and nominations at at the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards and Soul Train Awards, including the "Artist of the Year" at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, TLC wong four awards for the video to "Waterfalls", including Video of the Year and the Viewer's Choice Award.

Track listing [edit]

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro-Lude" (feat. Phife Dawg) J. Mauldin, M. Taylor Jermaine Dupri 1:01
2. "Creep"   D. Austin Dallas Austin 4:29
3. "Kick Your Game"   J. Mauldin, M. Seal, L. Lopes Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal^ 4:13
4. "Diggin' on You"   K. Edmonds Babyface 4:14
5. "Case of the Fake People"   D. Austin Dallas Austin 4:03
6. "CrazySexyCool (Interlude)"   T. Watkins, S. Combs, C. Thompson Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs^ 1:42
7. "Red Light Special"   K. Edmonds Babyface 5:02
8. "Waterfalls"   M. Etheridge, L. Lopes, R. Wade, R. Murray, P. Brown Organized Noize 4:39
9. "Intermission-Lude"   J. Mauldin Jermaine Dupri 0:42
10. "Let's Do It Again"   K. Edmonds, J. Robinson Babyface, Jon-John 4:17
11. "If I Was Your Girlfriend"   P. Nelson Sean "Puffy" Combs, Chucky Thompson, Dalls austin^ 4:43
12. "Sexy (Interlude)"   R. Thomas Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs^ 1:35
13. "Take Our Time"   A. Hennings, D. Killings Dallas Austin, Arnold Hennings, Tim Kelley 4:33
14. "Can I Get a Witness (Interlude)" (feat. Busta Rhymes) T. Smith, S. Combs, C. Thompson Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs^ 2:57
15. "Switch"   J. Mauldin, M. Seal, L. Lopes Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal 3:30
16. "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" (featuring Dré of OutKast) A. Benjamin, R. Wade, R. Murray, P. Brown, M. Etheridge, L. Lopes Organized Noize 4:23
  • (^) denotes additional producer.
Notes

Personnel [edit]

  • Sharliss Asbury – project coordinator
  • Dallas Austin – production, instruments, executive producer
  • Bebe – backing vocals
  • André "3000" Benjamin – vocals
  • Bernasky – assistant recording
  • Leslie Brathwaite – recording, mixing
  • Thomas "Cee-Lo Green" Callaway – backing vocals
  • Sean "Puffy" Combs – production, backing vocals
  • Dah Len – photography
  • Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds – production, instruments, executive producer
  • Blake Eiseman – recording
  • Eric Fischer – assistant recording
  • Ronnie Fitch – horns
  • Brian Frye – assistant recording
  • John Frye – recording
  • Dean Gant – keyboards
  • Brad Gilderman – recording
  • Carl Glover – recording, assistant recording, instruments
  • Ron Gresham – mixing
  • Arnold Hennings – production, instruments
  • Lamont Hyde – assistant recording
  • LaMarquis Jefferson – bass
  • Tim Kelley – Bass, keyboards
  • Debra Killings – backing vocals
  • Scot Little – assistant recording
  • Jerry Lloyd – horns
  • Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – vocals
  • Trey Lorenz – backing vocals
  • Craig Love – guitar
  • Alex Lowe – assistant recording
  • Rico Lumpkins – assistant recording
  • Jermaine "Dupri" Mauldin – production, recording, mixing, backing vocals
  • Nashiem Myrick – recording
  • Nealhpogue – recording, mixing
  • Charles Nix – horns
  • Organized Noize – production, instruments
  • Mike Patterson – recording, midi and sound design
  • Herb Powers – mastering
  • Antonio "LA" Reid – executive producer
  • Jon-John Robinson – production, instruments
  • Manuel Seal – production
  • Rick Sheppard – Midi and sound design
  • Shock – horn arrangements
  • Shorty B – guitar
  • Dwight Sills – guitar
  • Davett Singletary – creative direction
  • Ivy Skoff – project coordinator
  • Brian Smith – assistant recording
  • Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith, Jr. – vocals
  • Sol Messiah – DJ scratches
  • Alvin Speights – recording, mixing
  • Christopher Stern – art direction
  • Edward Stroud – guitar
  • Phil Tan – recording, assistant recording, mixing
  • Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor – vocals
  • Martin Terry – guitar
  • Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas – vocals
  • Carl "Chucky" Thompson – production, instruments
  • Rich Travali – recording, mixing
  • Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins – vocals
  • Dave Way – mixing
  • Mike Wilson – assistant recording
  • Colin Wolfe – bass
  • Kenneth Wrights – keyboards

Charts and certifications [edit]

Charts [edit]

Charts (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[13] 5
Austrian Albums Chart[13] 16
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[13] 20
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[13] 25
Finnish Albums Chart[13] 37
Dutch Albums Chart[13] 4
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[13] 15
Swedish Albums Chart[13] 11
Swiss Albums Chart[13] 10
UK Albums Chart 4
U.S. Billboard 200 3
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 2

Sales and certifications [edit]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Austria (IFPI Austria)[14] Gold 25,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[15] 8× Platinum 800,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] 11× Platinum 11,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[18] Platinum 1,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

End-Of-Year charts [edit]

Chart (1995) Position
U.S. Billboard 200 [19] 5
Chart (1996) Position
U.S. Billboard 200 [20] 22

End-Of-Decade Charts [edit]

Chart (1990–1999) Position
U.S. Billboard 200[21] 25

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b Battersby, Matilda (2012-11-05). "TLC plan first album since Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes' death". The Independent. 
  3. ^ Allmusic review
  4. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  5. ^ Robert Christgau review
  6. ^ Rolling Stone review
  7. ^ Uncut review
  8. ^ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/2610/TLC-CrazySexyCool/
  9. ^ Yahoo! Music review[dead link]
  10. ^ a b [2]
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Nineties: TLC, 'CrazySexyCool'". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 28 June 2012. 
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "TLC - CRAZYSEXYCOOL (ALBUM)". Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 August 2012. 
  14. ^ "Austrian album certifications – TLC – CrazySexyCool" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved June 27, 2012.  Enter TLC in the field Interpret. Enter CrazySexyCool in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  15. ^ "Canadian album certifications – TLC – CrazySexyCool". Music Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2012. 
  16. ^ "British album certifications – TLC – CrazySexyCool". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 27, 2012.  Enter CrazySexyCool in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  17. ^ "American album certifications – TLC – CrazySexyCool". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 27, 2012.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  18. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 27, 2012. 
  19. ^ http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1995/bbyearend.htm
  20. ^ 1996: Year In Music. Billboard. December 28, 1996. Retrieved April 18, 2013. 
  21. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 

External links [edit]

TLC
Studio albums
Other albums
Singles
Related articles
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