Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes - Eye Legacy Review

Posted by Byron Lee on 02.06.2009

Does the LP live up to the Legacy?

Her Story:

After moving to Atlanta from Philadelphia in 1990 with a keyboard and a few hundred dollars cash, Lisa Lopes was chosen by teenager Crystal Jones to be one third of the R&B trio 2nd Nature. (Tionne Watkins rounded out the group.) The girls grabbed the ear of Antonio "L.A." Reid, co-head of La Face records and, after Jones was replaced with backup singer Rozonda Thomas, the groups was signed, with Reid's then-wife Perri (better known as singer Peebles of "Mercedes Boy" fame) acting as both their label boss and their manager. The group was rechristened TLC with each member having a nickname for an initial (Watkins was "T-Boz", Lopes was "Left-eye," and Thomas was "Chilli".)

The group made a big splash with 1992's Ooooooohhh...on the TLC Tip, with hits "Ain't Too Proud Too Beg" and "Baby Baby Baby," and a fun-loving, yet, for the time, controversial image. (Lopes wore a condom of the left eye of her spectacles.) The debut set sold 6 million copies around the globe. 1994's CrazySexyCool, with the singles "Creep" and "Waterfalls" only furthered their fame, selling 15 million worldwide.

Regardless of what one might think of TLC's music, one cannot deny their cultural impact: like an R&B Salt & Pepa, they performed catchy, direct songs from a girl/woman's perspective that sold well because they spoke to that audience.

The trio's success would make their filing for bankruptcy in 1995 a shock. (The members only took home tens of thousands of dollars from their multiplatinum sales, and they blamed a lousy contract for that.) The issue was resolved with a restructured contract and a complete separation from Peebles, by now estranged from her husband, with Peebles retaining a percentage of their future earnings.

Their financial situation settled, the group would suffer from the same dynamic that brought them success. Left Eye's role in the group wasn't really that of a rapper or backup singer as much as it was spark plug, the "crazy" in "Crazy, Sexy, Cool." Her personality would soon have consequences outside of the studio and stage. In 1994, Lopes set a few of her then-boyfriend Andre Rison's shoes on fire, allegedly in response to an incident of abuse. The fire escaped the bathtub the shoes were placed in and raged beyond Lopes's control, burning the home she shared with Rison down. Lopes would never live the incident and, at times, referenced the incident in photo shoots and lyrics.

More strife came during the recording of their third album, FanMail. Reportedly upset that many of her ideas were rejected, Left Eye issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly distancing herself from the project and infamously challenging her two bandmates to each do a solo album, with the public choosing the best CD. (True to her nature, Lopes would soon return to the fold, claiming that she never explicitly said that she would leave.) FanMail, which featured "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty," was another blockbuster for the group, selling 10 million copies, internationally, yet many fans lamented the nearly complete absence of Left-eye on the recording.

Those same fans were excited, when Lopes announced plans for a solo album, eventually titled Supernova. The album never saw U.S. distribution, but it has developed somewhat of a cult following, due to the highly revelatory lyrics regarding her upbringing (Her father worked the military, and her free-spirited ways didn't go over well in the household.) and her spiritual quest.

After a failed stint at Death Row records, Lopes had plans to record another solo album and to reunite with TLC when she was killed in a car crash, while doing missionary work, in Honduras, in 2002. (The documentary The Last Days of Left Eye, covers her time in Honduras and her spiritually, pretty effectively.)

The Album:

On January 27, 2009, Mass Appeal Records released Eye Legacy, a posthumous recording by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.



The Songs: 7.0
1 "Spread Your Wings" (featuring Free)
2 "In the Life" (featuring Bobby Valentino)
3 "Legendary"
4 "Let's Just Do It" (featuring TLC & Missy Elliott)
5 "Block Party" (featuring Lil Mama)
6 "Listen"
7 "Bounce" (featuring Chamillionaire and Bone Crusher)
8 "Let It Out" (featuring Wanya Morris)
9 "Through the Pain" (featuring Ryan Toby & Claudette Ortiz)
10 "Forever"
11 "Neva Will Eye Eva" (featuring Reigndrops Lopes)
12 "L.I.S.A."
13 "Let's Just Do It" (Remix) (featuring TLC & Missy Elliott)
14 "Crank It"

8 tracks from Supernova make a return appearance on Eye Legacy, many of them with drastically altered sonics (mostly courtesy of The Heavyweights and Marcus DL) and new titles. (To make the comparison as painless as possible, the song titles from Supernova are in parentheses.) The neo-gospel feel of "Spread Your Wings" ("Life is Like a park") is made more emphatic for a rousing opener, the prominent guitar on the poignant "Forever" ("Friends") is AWOL, making for a equally effective, but less corny result, the Isley Brothers-lite approach to the child abuse lament of "Let It Out" ("Tampered With") is given a makeover, sounding like a more subdued Timberlake/Timbaland concoction, and the folky atmospherics of "Listen" ("Universal Quest") yield to a more orthodox arrangement, boosted by a strong chorus. ("A Star Is Born," a dedication to her late father from Supernova is regrettably absent.)

The G-Funk feel of "In The Life" ("Rags To Riches") is surrendered in favor of a contemporary upgrade, topped off by a winning appearance by Bobby Valentino. Here, Left Eye recalls the dangerous life she led, prior to music.

I remember sellin' coke
Can't believe that I was poisonin' my folk
Now I let my throat be the antidote
Always kept my hopes high
Now mama don't cry, 'cause I'll be close by
With the most high
I was playin' Robin Hood (in the hood)
Little Red Riding Hood
Til' the barrel pointed where I stood (yeah, I stood)
But walked away like I was absolutely positively sure I could


Legendary ("Untouchable") is given hefty, Shady/Aftermath-like production. Although the presence of original guest star 2Pac is sorely missed, Lopes's lyrics of transcendence over tribulations still shine through.

Sometimes I'm feelin' like I'm sinking
Thinkin' what it's like from on the other side
When I look at myself it's like my love had died
People thinkin' of gettin' richer
I'm using the blood of the loves that I lost recently
To paint a perfect picture
Can you see the future, future endeavors
That'll make us better
Using the light from my wings to make us fly together

"L.I.S.A." ("Let Me Live") is given a more ominous backdrop. Left Eye delivers rhymes that could serve as an epitaph.

Just to make it in the world and go against all odds
Come from the gritty inner city to a superstar
Number one hits consistently for ten long years
Put my soul in every project my blood sweat and my tears
Y'all know my status
Left eye the badest
Underestimate dont hate and I keep it lavish
But it dont mean nothing If I cant find peace of mind
Packing all distractions away leave them behind
Say goodbye hard times small crimes and felonies
A new beginning im winning envisioning the breeze
I'm dressed in all white linen and falling to my knees
Thankful for all thats been given, Im living, with ease
Tropical trees 90 degrees, please
Do like the birds and the bees and start a family
So reminisce on every line that I wrote
Know that I never will surrender and its truth that I spoke

Also noteworthy are some original compositions. "Through the Pain" featuring Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz, is a poignantly addressed letter to the other members of TLC, and “Crank It,” the final track on the album, is a straight-ahead dance music number that, while awkward, is ultimately a resonant statement on female empowerment and societal unity.

There are, however, some missteps. "Let's Just Do It," the lone track that finds vocals from Left Eye's other TLC members added into the mix (Missy Elliott also guest stars) has a sonic backdrop that somehow manages to be both too laidback and needlessly busy. (A less-showy remix of the song, found near the end of the album, is far more effective.) , "Neva Will I Eva" a well-intentioned track by Reigndrops Lopes (sister of the decreased), is marred by a swaying, nearly sea chantey rhythm and cadence, the crunktastic "Bounce" is too repetitive for my tastes, and "The Block Party," while a nice throwback to the type of dance songs popular in the mid '90s, wears out its welcome, pretty early.

Although the album bares the one tell-tale mark of a posthumously-recorded album--that every song is a duet with extended repetition at the end--it is to the credit of the producers and guest stars that nothing sounds tossed off, implying that a great deal of thought went into the LP's presentation. Other critics have noted that the tracks on Eye Legacy are more upbeat, and, subsequently, less challenging, that those on Supernova. However, 8 years is roughly 4 lifetimes in pop music, and with audiences growing younger, and, thus, further removed from TLC's hey day, this aesthetic choice was ultimately a wise one.

The 411: Eye Legacy may not be the Supernova reissue Left Eye fans were looking for, but it is a solid, lovingly-packaged tribute to a controversial pop culture figure.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]