After a lengthy break on the bench, ‘TGJ Replay’ is back!

Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ features, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s newest retrospective segment – a written quest, if you will, to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of pop and Urban pop music hits.  As today marks the 44th birthday of TLC’s lead singer T-BOZ, our latest ‘Replay’ will revisits the group’s 1999 comeback ‘Fanmail.‘

Not even a decade from their debut album ‘Oooooooh…On the TLC Tip’, R&B trio TLC had accomplished more than many of their contemporaries combined.  As top industry awards & accolades lined their shelves, blockbuster record sales and box office receipts followed in helping them lay claim to “best-selling female group in U.S. history” titling.  Yet, despite success aplenty, their story was overshadowed by tension within the group and with their label.  After making their biggest splash yet on charts with #1 hit ‘Waterfalls’, and its top-selling parent album ‘CrazySexyCool’ (over 20 million sold worldwide), the ‘Diggin On You’ songstresses found themselves buried under headlines about their highly publicized bankruptcy.

But, even at (what appeared to be) their highest highs and lowest lows, the group claims their unwavering devotion to their craft came on the strength of fans who sent in countless letters to express support.  TLC’s appreciation for the acts of kindness would be demonstrated via their 1999-released third album, ‘Fanmail’.

Assembling an all-star cast of producers, including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, and long-time collaborator Dallas Austin, the trio sought to follow-up their 1994 smash album ‘CrazySexyCool’ with a progressive mix of hip-hop, futuristic R&B, and hard-hitting pop stylings.  But, as the project neared its close in mid-1998, the concern became less about the music and more about its reception given the musical climate shifting in favor of teen pop as its dominating force and, of course, the group’s own extended hiatus.

Would consumers care to hear more from TLC?  The answer to that question came via the response to the album’s first single “No Scrubs”.

Unconventional for the group to see lead singer T-Boz not lend any leading vocals, the song’s sleek pop/R&B fusion – accompanied by an equally glossy, futuristic music video – proved to be just the trick for the long-time, chart-absent trio.  Immediately shooting to the top of the Hot 100, the tune would go on to spend four weeks at #1 and reassert the ladies’ position as the leading female group in the industry.

Paving the way for its parent album, ‘Fanmail’, to follow suit with its own #1 debut (over 318,000 sold first week), the song and album would become mainstays on 1999’s charts.  Their buoyancy on the tallies was undoubtedly fueled by show-stopping performances like that found on the year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

‘No Scrubs’ live

Even the brief controversy surrounding the tune’s alleged ignition of a spree of “male-bashing” songs could not stop ‘No Scrubs’ from cleaning up by the year’s end.  Going on to become the year’s top-performing R&B song, the song landed at #2 on Billboard’ 1999 Year-End charts (behind Cher’s ‘Believe’).   With its mega-success reaffirming public interest, there were undoubted high expectations for its follow-up, ‘Unpretty’.

And, as expected, it did not disappoint.

Having built a career of tunes that tackled social issues, ‘Unpretty’ became TLC‘s newwest female empowerment anthem.  A self-esteem builder for young girls pressured by society’s unrealistic standard of beauty, the song’s message struck a chord with listeners who, by late 1999, helped hoist it to #1 on the Hot 100.  Giving the group their 4th #1 single, the song would keep their presence on the Hot 100 well-and-alive into the turn of the millenium.

Becoming one of few early 90s R&B acts to still have a leading presence by 2000, any doubt about the ‘Dear Lie’ divas’ impact was clearly silenced by the success of the Fanmail Tour and the unveiling of the year’s Grammy nominations.  Scoring a whopping 8 nominations, including a ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year’ nods, it was clear that the TLC reign wasn’t letting up any time soon.

Walking away with three trophies (‘Best R&B Album’, ‘Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo’, and ‘Best R&B Song’), the accolades came as a shining reminder of how far the trio had come from fears of what could’ve been a career-ending bout with bankruptcy.

Selling over 11 million albums to date, ‘Fanmail’ is still a favorite here at TGJ HQ. Unfortunately, the album would be the last time the TLC performed as a trio.  While able to lend her vocals to some of the follow-up album’s tracks, rapper Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was tragically killed in a car accident before its release.

In her memory, we toast to R&B’s premier girl group.  And, while we at TGJ are still bumping ‘Silly Ho’, you tell us:

Your thoughts?