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在网易云音乐打开

风格
#电子舞曲 #流行舞曲 #女子团体 #都市音乐
地区
United States of America 美国

艺人介绍

原名 Second Nature 的 TLC 于 1991 组建。 T - Boz 来自爱荷华、Left Eye 来自费城、Chilli 则来自乔治亚。最初节奏蓝调制作人 Jermaine Dupri 发现了这三位潜力无穷的少女,之后,LaFace 唱片公司的 L.A Reid 和葛莱美得奖歌手兼作词兼制作人的 Babyface,联手将他们推上冠军团体宝座。

TLC 尝试把从小影响她们服装和语言甚巨的饶舌歌和节奏蓝调融合并带进音乐中,1992 年先以“Ain't Too Proud To Beg”一举拿下全美第6名,随后“Baby - Baby - Baby”再接再厉拿下亚军席次,为 TLC 开启了一扇通往全球巨星特区的大门。首张专辑《Ooooooohh...On The TLC Tip》拿下全美专辑第14名,专辑销售超过400万张,证明了这3个身上挂满保险套的女孩,已成为当时最受欢迎的流行女子组合。

在 1995 年发表第二张专辑《Crazy Sexy Cool》的前一刻,Lisa Lopes 因纵火烧毁男友的房子而遭逮捕入狱,却一点也没有影响到《Crazy Sexy Cool》的攻势。先是单曲“Creep”获得 Billboard 流行及 R&B 单曲榜冠军,而接连几首单曲“Red Light Special”(US Top.2)、“Waterfall”(US Top.1)、“Digging On You”(US Top.5)的傲人成绩,说明了全球乐迷的爱戴,以及 TLC 改以日趋成熟的 R&B 美声路线的大获全胜。专辑不但打进美国专辑榜第3名,当选美国 Spin、英国 Q、Melody Maker 杂志 1995 年度最佳专辑,更是抱回多项奖项,如葛莱美最佳 R&B 专辑、Billboard 音乐奖年度最佳艺人等3项大奖及 MTV 音乐奖年度最佳音乐录影带等4项大奖。

对於到手不易的盛名,TLC 更花了将近4年的时间筹备下一张专辑《Fanmail》,专辑由 Dallas Austin 等制作,展现日趋成熟的 R&B 曲风以及超未来的整体概念,独出一格的运用回然不同音乐元素却叫人讶异地完美相容。由“Fanmail”、“Silly Ho”勾勒出喃喃说念间的冷酷异境,到“I Miss You So Much”、“Unpretty”中 TLC 却又唱出可与才女前辈 Tracy Chapman 媲美的民谣才情,再到“Dear Lie”中寂寥南方的吉他声,硬是将这一首纯正 R&B 小品唱入每一位摇滚浪人的心坎,TLC 已将 R&B 风格带往更臻完美的极地。

在最新专辑Fan Mail-疯狂邮件中,TLC发扬了一贯的「集娱乐与教育发展于一身」的任务。除了收录超红制作人Babyface制作的〝Miss You So Much〞和〝Don't Lie〞,还有红牌如:Darryl、Jermaine和新进制作人Shekspere等人的呕心沥血作品,因此在整张作品音乐版图上而言,应该可以说是相当丰富且多元化的。

事实上,在听过Fan Mail的人无一不沉醉其中。从首支单曲No Scrubs曼陀铃和半原音吉他,到发人省思的必备单曲Unpretty,T Boz性感与智能兼具的嗓音随着美妙的旋律绕梁不去。

而专辑中的另一首Silly Ho,想必会成为99年的舞曲经典吧!TLC这次的每首歌,都要有探讨的议题和顺耳的旋律,再加上Left Eye挡不住的动感饶舌和Chilli完美的和声,《Fan Mail》肯定会成为一张无所不在的专辑。而《Fan Mail》不只是张献给歌迷的礼物,也是张90年代末最坦白并最具代表的街头灵魂乐。

TLC were one of the biggest-selling female R&B groups of all time, riding a blend of pop, hip-hop, and urban soul to superstardom during the '90s. Tionne &T-Boz& Watkins, rapper Lisa &Left Eye& Lopes, and Rozonda &Chilli& Thomas managed to appeal equally to pop and R&B audiences, blending catchy hooks and bouncy funk with a sassy, sexy attitude. Initially, their image was equal parts style and spirit, bolstered by a flamboyant, outrageous wardrobe. As time passed, they became equally well known for their chaotic personal lives, leaving a trail of headlines that read like a soap opera plot: arson, rehab, bankruptcy, serious illness, high-profile romances, and countless intragroup squabbles. After their star-making second album, CrazySexyCool, TLC fell into disarray, taking over four years to record the follow-up, Fanmail; even so, they returned more popular than ever, and the hits kept on coming. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in early 2002, when Lopes was killed in a car accident in Honduras.

TLC were formed in Atlanta, GA, in 1991, when Watkins and Lopes decided to split off from another all-female group. In short order, they met Thomas, locally based producer Dallas Austin, and '80s R&B singer Pebbles, who became their manager. They quickly scored a record deal with L.A. Reid and Babyface's new label, LaFace, and in 1992 issued their new jack-styled debut album, Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip. The video for the sexy, aggressive lead single, &Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg,& established their quirky, colorful fashion sense, and true to her nickname, Lopes stirred some attention by wearing a condom over her left eye to promote safe sex. The song became a Top Ten hit as did its follow-ups, the ballad &Baby-Baby-Baby& (a number two hit) and &What About Your Friends.& TLC were definitely a success, but they weren't quite stars yet, and it remained to be seen whether they could maintain their momentum over the long haul.

Not long before the release of their second album in late 1994, Lisa Lopes was arrested on arson charges. In an alcohol-fueled fit of rage, Lopes vented all the frustrations from her often-stormy relationship with NFL wide receiver Andre Rison, burning his Atlanta mansion to the ground and vandalizing several of his cars. Lopes' lawyers claimed that she had a drinking problem, and while Lopes herself wasn't happy with that defense, she avoided jail time with a sentence of five years' probation; she was also later admitted to an alcohol rehab program. All the publicity certainly didn't hurt CrazySexyCool, which became a blockbuster success, albeit for other reasons. Taking a cue from Salt-n-Pepa's makeover on Very Necessary, CrazySexyCool toned down the boisterousness of their first record in favor of a smoother, more mature presentation; they were still strong and sexual, but now fully adult as well, and were more involved (especially Lopes) in crafting their own material. The slinky lead single, &Creep,& became TLC's first number one pop hit, topping the charts for four weeks. It was followed by three more Top Five singles: &Red Light Special,& &Waterfalls& (which became their biggest hit ever, spending seven weeks at number one), and &Diggin' on You.& TLC were a bona fide phenomenon, and their stylish videos and live performances kept upping the ante for outrageous fashion sense. CrazySexyCool eventually sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone, and won a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

All was not well, however. In 1995, TLC filed for bankruptcy, claiming debts of over 3.5 million dollars, in part stemming from Lopes' insurance payments over the arson incident. They also claimed they hadn't seen their fair share of royalties from CrazySexyCool; LaFace countered that they were simply trying to get a bigger contract. TLC did wind up splitting from Pebbles' management company over the money issues (not helped by the fact that Pebbles' marriage to LaFace head L.A. Reid had gone through a nasty breakup). What was more, it was announced that for some time Watkins had been battling sickle cell anemia, which sapped her energy and often made performing difficult. TLC spent much of 1996 getting their financial affairs in order, and were set to re-enter the studio in the summer of 1997. The sessions had trouble getting off the ground, though, thanks to the group's public spat with producer Dallas Austin, claiming that his fee was far too high; not only had Austin played a significant role in the creation of their music, but the split was all the more awkward because he and Thomas had just had a son together. It took until early 1998 to finally resolve the producer situation, and Austin wound up handling the vast majority of the record. Still, it took quite some time to put together; Lopes announced in the summer of 1998 that she was working on a solo record, and Watkins tried her hand at acting with an appearance in the Hype Williams-directed Belly. All the delays, tension, and side projects fueled rumors of the group's impending breakup.

TLC's third album was finally released at the beginning of 1999. The hotly anticipated Fanmail debuted at number one, and its first single, &No Scrubs& — a dismissal of men who didn't measure up — topped the charts as well for four weeks. The critically acclaimed follow-up, &Unpretty,& tackled unrealistic beauty standards and spent three weeks at number one. Fanmail wound up going six times platinum, and won another Best R&B Album Grammy. As TLC prepared to tour in late 1999, tensions between the individual members spilled over into a public feud; Watkins and Thomas criticized Lopes for putting herself before the group, and Lopes responded by blasting TLC's recent music and challenging her bandmates to record solo albums, so that fans could see who the real talent lay with. The blowup was only temporary, but rumors about TLC's future continued to swirl. Lopes continued to publicize her upcoming solo project, and Thomas eventually began working on her own album as well. Watkins married rapper Mack 10 in the summer of 2000 and had their first child not long after. Meanwhile, tabloid favorite Lopes continued to make headlines when she disappeared for over a week, missing a family function and a press conference (she turned out to be with a new boyfriend).

In 2001, TLC somehow managed to regroup and enter the studio together to work on material for a new album. That summer, a report surfaced that Lopes had postponed a wedding with, of all people, Andre Rison. Meanwhile, her solo debut, Supernova, was scheduled for release and then scrapped on several occasions; it eventually came out overseas, but domestically Arista pulled the plug. Meanwhile, TLC's recording halted while Watkins was hospitalized from complications with her anemia. At the beginning of 2002, Lopes announced that she had signed a solo deal with the infamous Suge Knight's new label Tha Row, for which she would begin recording a follow-up to the unreleased Supernova under the name N.I.N.A. (New Identity Non-Applicable). Sadly, she would never get the chance. Vacationing in her favorite getaway spot, Honduras, Lopes was driving a rented SUV with at least seven (possibly eight) passengers. Reportedly speeding, she lost control of the vehicle, which flipped over; she was the only member of the party to be seriously injured, and died from severe head trauma on April 25, 2002. The surviving members of TLC announced their intention to complete the album they'd begun, though without their most vibrant character the group's long-term future remained in doubt.


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