TLC: 3D

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Possibly the last offering from the great R&B girl group and finished after the car-crash death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, 3D shows little sign of her absence on a collection which, at its best, is as good as anything they've delivered on their influential, hit-heavy three previous albums.

Had circumstances been different, the line to this might have been about the old guard showing heirs apparent Destiny's Child a thing or two about putting songs before vocal pyrotechnics and making those inevitable non-single filler tracks worthwhile.

It's got plenty of sophisticated and sassy potential singles on offer after the low-riding funk'n'rap of lead track Girl Talk. There's the bittersweet, big-harmony ballad Damaged; the No Scrubs-sequel that is Hands Up; and the infectiously drum'n'bass-pumped, Missy Elliott and Timbaland-produced Dirty Dirty.

That title track suggests Salt'N Pepa and Prince as perfectly compatible influences, while the latter is owed something for In Your Arms Tonight and Quickie, and the fizzy, delicate Turntable seems to have escaped the factory which once stamped out hits for various Jacksons.

A certain sadness might hang over 3D, but it's only the liner notes which remind of the tragedy. The music catches TLC as colourful and vibrant as ever.

Label: Arista