Fanmail [PA] - TLC (CD 1999)

"The Times They Are A Changin'", and I don't think I'm changin' fast enough with 'em! Early 1970's: My party years! Songs were banned from the radio because they mentioned the word s-e-x! The Rolling Stones sang, "Let's Spend the Night Together." Another group implored girls to "Plee-ee-ee-ease Go All the Way." "Wouldn't It Be Nice if we were older...then we wouldn't have to wait so long!" the Beach Boys wished. Meatloaf pushed the envelope a little further in "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights." Girl trades sex for a promise of marriage. Couple lives unhappily ever after. Fast forward to 1983.

TLC is one of the most successful female groups of the 90's and the reason for this is no mystery. They are creative, strong women who can deliver a message or just get you moving. Fanmail is the third effort from this trio of the original independent women and turns out to be a hit and miss affair. TLC gets more explicit and raw in this one and moves in new directions. Some work, some don't but you have to admire their willingness to try. The album opens with the title track and has a lot of different effects and is a very rhythmic, computerized song. They have grown as singers in many ways..

TLC signified "girl power" more than a half decade before The Spice Girls came onto the scene. With a rambunctious image and in-your-face sexuality, the Atlanta-based threesome scored hit after hit through the Nineties, and even established themselves individually as the sexpot (Chilli), the homegirl (T-Boz) and the lunatic (Left Eye). Lost in all this empowerment stuff was the fact that the group's public image and the vast majority of their music was created by men, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, by the time the girls' third disc, FanMail dropped in 1999, a lengthy five..

The Main Idea: After a five-year hiatus, split with manager Perri "Pebbles" Reid, bankruptcy filing, and rumors of a breakup, TLC came back with a vengeance in 1999 with their most innovative album yet. Complete with the freshest in hip-hop beats, inspirational lyrics, and more smoldering vocals, Fanmail was the best album of 1999. The girls achieved critical and commercial success on this Grammy-winning hit album. Each song sends its own message and has its own unique sound. Song-By-Song Breakdown: 1. FANMAIL - The title is self-explanatory: the song is dedicated to every fan who has ever...