Three years ago, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes challenged her two bandmates to produce solo albums so that TLC's fans could see who had the most talent. Now the chance has come - but Lopes herself is tragically not around to see it, having died in a car accident earlier this year. With so much half-written material lying around, 3D was an inevitable release - and while it may be a bit frayed around the ages, it's a largely satisfying footnote to a band that was always more than the sum of its parts. Appropriately enough, perhaps, the four tracks co-written by Lopes are all standouts, combining the band's trademark sassiness with salty rapping and urgent, energising beats. The remaining nine songs are sweeter, softer and not quite as memorable, mostly featuring Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins and Rozanda 'Chilli' Thomas taking their faithless boyfriends to task. Still, at least, they steer well clear of any mawkish tribute to their fallen colleague - rightly deciding that making a decent final album is a far better way to honour her memory.
