TLC : Fanmail

Five years is a long time in the music business, so how does a group cope with such an absence which has included such travesties as one member finding themselves on an arson charge? Simple, they come back with a futuristic looking package that contains a record that shakes the ground so much, you would think Godzilla is dancing to it.

'No Scrubs', produced by Kevin 'Shekespere' Briggs, has not only re-invented TLC as the original independent women, but it will start a precedent of records that see the fairer sex have there say. But 'Fanmail' isn't all female feistiness as downtempo moments like 'Dear Lie' and 'I Miss You So Much' prove, whilst the acoustic 'Unpretty' consolidate the trio as the hottest R&B act around.

Sam Faulkner