TLC, “CrazySexyCool” ( La Face ) **The...

TLC, “CrazySexyCool” ( La Face ) **

The R&B; vocal group’s second album is more grown-up than its 1992 debut, “Ooooooohhh . . . on the TLC Tip,” which has sold nearly 3 million--but it isn’t nearly as much fun.

When the trio of Tionne (T-Boz) Watkins, Lisa (Left Eye) Lopes and Rozonda (Chilli) Thomas burst on the hip-hop scene, it was a breath of fresh air, bringing a cocky, macho sensibility to the prissy girl-group genre. They came across as hip, rebellious feminists who looked at relationships as skirmishes in which they clearly had the upper hand--and loved every minute of it. A wacky, cartoonish quality coupled with a reckless inhibition made that debut something special. Those qualities are missing from the follow-up.

Many of the cuts on this album, mostly produced by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Babyface, have the sultry, sensuous feel of mid-’80s Prince. But, unlike Prince’s best slow-tempo material, these tracks tend to drag. The album sorely needs some crackling dance tunes, something like the debut album’s big hit, “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg.”

“CrazySexyCool” does have some strong tunes, though, notably the steamy Babyface productions “Redlight Special” and “Let’s Do It Again.” “Creep” and “Switch” pack some punch too. Overall, though, this just isn’t as good as the debut.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).