CrazySexyCool
On their second album, the multiplatinum trio TLC have given up most of their debut's tomfoolery and have matured into a very modern deep Southern soul, watered and nurtured in hip-hop culture. The album's centerpiece is the magnificent "Waterfalls," a revival meeting of new jack swing, gospel, andPrince(whose "If I Was Your Girlfriend" they turn inside out). Their spare, surprising arrangements rely on the kind of live instrumentation they single-handedly brought back in style. Lyrically,CrazySexyCoolconcentrates on love at the point when it's grown deeper but also more frustrating--for every great love song there's a great cheating song--and the group's singing and rapping balances sassiness with depth and nuance.--Douglas Wolk