September 4th, 2009

Date Released: October 25, 1994

Album: "CrazySexyCool"

Genre(s): R&B/Hip-Hop

Record Label: LaFace

Producer(s): Dallas Austin

Arguably, the very definition of the mid-90s era of R&B can be unequivocally summed up by TLC, the now infamous female singing trio which comprised of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.

After exploding onto the scene in 1992 with their loud sense of style and an equally quirky double platinum debut, Ooooooohh... On the TLC Tip (which has to be the most annoying album title to type in the history of music), the group released their best selling album in November 1994 entitled "CrazySexyCool" on LaFace Records.

"CrazySexyCool" unveiled a more mature, sexier, and refined sound for the ladies when compared to their older material that drew heavy comparisons to the popular sound of the era it came from, New Jack Swing (some even went as far as to coin it "New Jill Swing"). The change was spearheaded by their infectious mid-tempo lead single, "Creep," which also gave them their first number one hit on the pop charts in addition to help drive sales of the album to a beastly 11 million copies in the United States alone.

Of course, this was before the internet even became a household word so everyone and their momma who wanted to hear the CD had to actually purchase it. Yeah, I know, it's a strange concept these days. I was eight when this song came out, and not really into music that much at the time, but I always remembered this song due to the amount of play it got on MTV -- because they played it almost nonstop. It's probably the top of the list when it comes to favorite songs by the group and I did wind up purchasing the CD in 2000 (again, before Napster really took off), but I pretty much only got it for "Creep," and man, did I ever play the hell out of it! I still have the CD, although it's skips due to the scratches. Ugh, CD you fail me once again!

The production on this track, provided by Dallas Austin, is the very definiition of top notch as it has an undeniable 90s hip-hop tinge to it that gracefully gives away it's age. Austin has also made hits for artists like Madonna ("Secret"), Pink ("Don't Let Me Get Me"), Kelis ("Trick Me"), Blu Cantrell ("Hit 'Em up Style"), and even Japanese pop star Amuro Namie.

The video also screams the mid-90s in terms of cinematography and fashion. The shiny and colorful robes are synonymous with this video -- so much so, the idiots from Pretty Ricky bit the idea (by their own admission during a "Making The Video" type special BET aired) in their own video for "Love Like Honey" in 2007 with not so fantastic results... But all in all, you just don't see classy videos like this anymore. It's a very clean, artistic clip that we could definitely use more of lately.

The legacy of this song, in my opinion, is that it will always be that jam that takes EVERYONE back the moment that opening trumpet hits and T-Boz says "Yes... It's me again... ". Whether you were an adult, teenager, or a child, if you were alive and aware of your surroundings in '94, this has been woven into the fabric of your life in some shape or form. I've heard this joint so many times in the past 15 years and it refuses to get played out; it's a timeless classic that's incredibly rare to create on a consistent basis. Don't get me wrong, TLC's other material off this album, and it's much anticipated follow up in 1999, "Fan Mail," were all pretty good, but "Creep" is just on it's own planet entirely. Cheating on your partner never sounded so beautiful.

It's a damn shame Lisa died in 2002, because I'm sure the group would have been able to continue making hits in this modern era of music with no problem. Their departure from the industry really left a big hole in female R&B, one that will probably never be properly filled again, no matter how many Destiny's Child's or Electrik Red's come along.