Single Review: TLC – ‘Way Back’ (feat. Snoop Dogg)
3 min read
The rather appropriate lyric, “It’s been a long, long time coming” opens Way Back, the long-awaited brand new single from TLC, one of musics most successful acts in history, and it couldn’t be a more relevant opening statement from an outfit we thought we would, quite frankly, never hear from again. Thankfully that’s not the case and the groups return to music’s centre stage could not be more welcome.
With a brand new record slated for a June release, the latest track from the duo is fresh yet contains a gorgeous nostalgic coating to ensure the groups sound doesn’t stray too far from that which carved their iconic back catalogue of hits like No Scrubs, Waterfalls and Creep. With a head bopping beat running subtly beneath the track and a playful instrumentation that creates the tracks hook and one that band members T-Boz and Chilli use to bounce off each other during the course of the tracks infectious 3 minutes, Way Back is a hip-hop/pop hit that will hopefully set the tone of the groups forthcoming studio effort.
Godfather of rap, Snoop Dogg is enlisted to deliver a worthy hip hop segment into the catchy hit while Chilli’s smooth and sultry vocal sits sweetly beside fellow band member T-Boz’s husky delivery of the tracks punchy verses.
Paying tribute to some of the groups idols – Prince, Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Michael Jackson all getting a nod during the tracks smooth chorus – T-Boz and Chilli offer us a beefy and bass-laden RnB gem that take us right back to the bands late peak years of 3D. But that’s not a problem here. When the group announced plans to head back into the studio one last time, their goal was never to shift their sound to suit the latest trend in music but to recreate the good old days for their fans. As the bad recite during the number, “it’s still nothing but a thing to pick up where we left off” and that is exactly where Way Back succeeds. Its not trying to be something its not. Its a track for the fans – those who have been there from the groups early days, the rocky years following the death of Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes and stayed with them as they took a step back from the music industry following the release of their last 2002 studio record.
A basic yet brilliant comeback single from one of the greatest acts of our time.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
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