6/10

I think it fair to assume that TLC need no introduction. Not just because it is the opening track of their latest self-titled album, but because of the undeniable legacy these RnB legends manage to create in their initial career. Bringing self-appreciating and feminist anthems to a young female audience that at the time had very little in the way of positive role models in the music industry, the band have now returned after fifteen years to deliver their crowd-funded self-titled full-length.

While nostalgia is all well and good, fifteen years is a very long time in the commercial pop world and so it is refreshing to hear TLC bring a more contemporary and mature sound to their classic RnB jam sound. Yet while Snoop Dogg makes a strong guest appearance on their single 'Way Back', the two remaining members have made this new record very much about themselves. The pair like to bring up personal accounts regarding their lives since they last left us, making this a very humbled passion project.

But while the initial buzz of finding a new TLC album is nice, it doesn't take long for the album to begin to dip. The uber-cheese fest that is 'It's Sunny' creates a jarring experience so early on in the tracklisting, and while plenty of great material can be found here, especially the sultry 'Perfect Girls', an album with this much filler shouldn't have happened to a group that has had all the time in the world to make it.