3LW: 3LW : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The new recipe for girl-group success calls for less Spice and more Children of Destiny. Mixing adult R&B with age-appropriate teen themes, 3LW clearly would like to follow the path of TLC or SWV, not B*witched or any other cutesy ensembles who wouldn't have a life without Radio Disney. Their producers have churned out countless hits for hire, and the trio's obligatory acronym unfortunately stands for Three Little Women. From the bounce of their jerky beats to the kewpie-doll coo of their radio-friendly crooning, jailbaiters Naturi, Adrienne and Kiely radiate prefab vibes. Self-consciously jiggy jams like "Is You Feelin' Me" and "Playas Gon' Play" pile on the sassy-but-good-girl cliches. Yet 3LW rise above the crassness behind their creation by laying low: no bombastic ballads, no embarrassing between-track skits, no strained displays of virtuoso technique and fake emotion. Similar acts would oversing these slight delights, but 3LW know that the constant hooks they chirp are the real celebrities. (RS 862)

BARRY WALTERS