Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip
A hip-hop album with major pop crossover appeal, TLC's 1992 debut was an instant success. The trio of young women--T-Boz, Chilli, and Left Eye--projected a playful and colorful image, wearing bright, floppy clothes and using prophylactics as fashion accessories (Left Eye used to wear a colored condom as an eye patch, hence the nickname). The music was equally vibrant, trading off Left Eye's sandy raps, T-Boz's low-register come-hither croon, and Chilli's sultry R&B; vocal melodies, creating an infectious, high-energy buzz. With singles like "Baby-Baby-Baby," "What About Your Friends," and the party-anthem shout-out "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg," the group approached subjects like sex and friendship with a youthful, inexplicit innocence.--Beth Bessmer