Aaliyah Music:

Aaliyah Track Listing:
1. We Need a Resolution - Aaliyah, Timbaland
2. Loose Rap - Aaliyah, Static
3. Rock the Boat
4. More Than a Woman
5. Never No More
6. I Care 4 U
7. Extra Smooth
8. Read Between the Lines
9. U Got Nerve
10. I Refuse
11. It's Whatever
12. I Can Be
13. Those Were the Days
14. What If

Editorial Review:
Seven years after her debut at just 15 years old, Aaliyah assembled a third studio album that was astonishingly mature. Sadly, her death just a little over a month after its release stilled a promising voice in R&B. At 22, when most artists would just be getting started, Aaliyah had already progressed from pop to street to an unconventional retro-modern, risk-taking version of R&B. While lead track "We Need a Resolution" is as mainstream as it gets, there are fewer hits on this album than on previous efforts. Instead, this collection is an extraordinary romantic exposition of passion and pain. While Missy Elliott is cranking out jams for all her "club freaks," Aaliyah is like a modern-day (if less vocally gifted) Minnie Riperton, exploring the pains of moving from child star to adult sex symbol. Tracks such as "Never No More" and "I Care 4 U" (featuring Missy) are slinky, twisted ballads imbued with film-noir sultriness, as diva Aaliyah steps catlike away from the bubblegum R&B of her contemporaries. There's also the obligatory rock track tacked on near the end ("I Can Be"), but even this excels above the standard hip-hop/rock/R&B crossover fare with its Prince-like influences coupled with Aaliyah's own instinct for seduction. Aaliyah also signaled a move away from her long-standing musical relationship with producer Timbaland, who contributes just three cuts. Having started out heavily supported by R. Kelly, it appeared that Aaliyah was more than able to go it alone. --Jake Barnes

Aaliyah Reviews:
Aaliyah cd purchase
2009-11-16 - I purchased a used cd and the process was wonderful. I recommend it to everyone. There were no glitches or problems. I received the cd much faster than I expected. It arrived about 3 days later.

Beautiful album!!!
2009-10-15 - Aaliyah, baby girl rest in peace!!! You were truly a one in a million. Aaliyah this cd is truly wonderful. Aaliyah you were truly an angel on earth.

Aaliyah:A Revelation Almost Eight Years Later
2009-03-01 - Hard to believe this album is as old as it is,and it's not that old.So much changed after Aaliyah's sad passing;it seems to me as if after that and 9/11 three months later that everything was just so...different. Well either way you look at it Aaliyah was on the cusp of something very special here.It may take a couple listens to understand why but,when you do hear it it smacks you right over the head. Put simply at the turn of the millenium R&B artists such as Destiny's Child,starting with their hit Jumpin' Jumpin' began using certain microtonal Arabic/Middle Eastern phrasing in their digitized melodies,something actually pioneered 30 years before in "real" music by Motown bassist James Jamerson. By this time computer softwere such as Pro Tools were making not only that type of melody but instrumentation available to music producers,seeing as it was all there on a computer.So....after a six year absense from the recording studio Aaliyah returned here with a CD that both shocked and impressed the music world. In this artists world of hip-hop/R&B it was usually about working in a singles medium;albums tended to be longwinded "mix tapes" with the hits lodged between and some decent tunes mixed in.In this case the brilliant writing of Static and Missy Elliot (as well as Aaliyah's own personal production touches) make this one of the few contemporary R&B recordings that is actually close to being a genuine album rather then a format to showcase singles,which meant Aaliyah was now doing for her genre what people like Sam Cooke,Curtis Mayfield,Stevie Wonder,Patrice Rushen and Prince had done in past decades. While she very much enjoys her music being totally up to the minute,Aaliyah's strong sense of past/futurism is very strong so along with the modern touches there is elements of old style R&B now called "neo soul" and...a sound totally unknown on top of that.Along the way she also turns in some superb songs such as "We Need A Resolution",a perfect example of her new musical approch."Rock The Boat" of course is the most obvious single;it's catchy,modern but something about it is also timelessly dancable."More Then A Woman" finds a very funky mode where you'll here Missy and Statics "sonic soundscapes" melding to create coherant grooves as opposed to just noise-something the rest of the album follows through with.On "I Care For You" well,the sound is as deep classic soul as you can get and Missy is FULLY in charge production wise. "Extra Smooth" is yet another curious one;a clever song that,somewhere in the melody actually owes as much to swinging jazz as modern R&B (by the way it's more in the sound presentation then the instrumental style:thank you very much!) and really kicks up a storm!.It is on "I Can Be" that this album really achieves it's fullest flower.This epic ballad has everything that makes this album great;the Eastern tonal qualities,an excellent composition and a soulful intensity where Aaliyah declares herself to be an adult on a mission in every possible way.Not only that but the well done use of cinematic orchestration on this song,certain death for other tunes of this type just brings it further to life. Anyone cautious about modern R&B albums would be well advised to seek this CD out.As with much of my favorite music in any genre this represents a sadly untaken musical direction for the modern "hip/R&B" sound that's only been made to sound even better as the genre since this time has continues to go somewhat astray. We can only speculate how different things would've been if she'd lived but since we can't this is more then a worthy epitaph,more then just an okay recording viewed as a masterpiece because of the performers passing.THIS is the REAL THING and if someone today could get R&B back flying in this general direction everyone involved in the genre would likely have far more rewarding careers ahead of them!

Aaliyah's final (and best) album!
2008-12-03 - "I've got something for all the fools, It ain't just rhythm and blues." Aaliyah sings in "Loose Rap," the second song off her (unfortunately) final studio album. This is true, because even though most of the album is R&B or Neo-Soul music, she also includes some dance/electropop music ("More Than A Woman") and even some rock music ("What If", "I Can Be") to make a very interesting and listenable album that proves Aaliyah knew how to change up her sound, but still make it work.

The album opens with "We Need A Resolution," which is a very unique sounding song that is still R&B, but doesn't sound like anything she's done before. This is one of the standout tracks that you will find your self playing over and over. This is followed by "Loose Rap" featuring Static Major of Playa. This song is catchy as usual. The second single and thrid track from "Aaliyah" is "Rock the Boat." It is the most sexual, but most amazing songs on here. The vocals Aaliyah delivers to the relaxed beat will send chills down your spine! The only thing is the first few times I listened to it, it was hard because all I could think about was her dieing in a plane crash coming back from the music video shoot. It immediately leads into "More Than A Woman," the fun pop music track that will have you singing along with the chorus.

Things get more serious as Aaliyah addresses her lover who is abusing her in "Never No More" and comforts a heartbroken man in "I Care 4 U." They both are five star songs and the latter was Aaliyah's favorite track from this album. In "Extra Smooth," Aaliyah sings about being hit on by guys trying to be slick, or as she says it 'extra smooth.' "Read Between the Lines" is about exposing a liar, and is a decent track. Then she gets p'oed (pissed off) in "U Got Nerve."

Track number ten gives us the piano-driven ballad, entitled "I Refuse." This song could easily go down as one of my favorite Aaliyah songs. Aaliyah delivers phenomenal vocals on this track. It was released as a very minor single in France, but I think if it was released in the US, it would have been successful. Clocking in at nearly six minutes (the booklet says 5:57, iTunes says 5:59) it is the longest song on the album, but you won't notice it. Followed by "It's Whatever" which is a nice ballad, but kind of forgettable if you listen to it back to back with "I Refuse."

Once we get to "I Can Be," you will be in the mood for an upbeat song. It starts out like a ballad, but then a surprise twist. An electric guitar kicks in and makes it an upbeat ROCK song! Some people don't like it but I think it worked. After that, we are given "Those Were the Days." Its a nice mid-tempo that has a good beat. It reminisces on a love that once was strong but now is weak.

After thirteen wonderful tracks, all that's left is "What If." I'm going to have to be honest... This is a horrible way to end! It starts of with annoying guitar feedback, and then a messed up NU-metal track that just doesn't quite work. However, on some editions, you are treated with the bonus (hidden) track "Messed Up," which is a much better way to end. Or, there is another edition that ends with four bonus tracks! They are Try Again from "Romeo Must Die" and "Miss You", "Don't Know What to Tell Ya", and "Erica Kane." That is the edition I own and (as of December 2008) is the only version of the album that is still available to by from Amazon (the others are only Used & New.)

Seven years after her debut and five after her second album, Aaliyah proves that she has matured over the years. This is undoubtedly her best work in my opinion.

Aaliyah, at her best
2008-10-05 - Even in her afterlife, Aaliyah does not disappoint. Age Ain't Nothing But a Number was a sweet introduction into the industry. One In a Million was a brilliant sophomore album showcasing her maturing voice and her ever-evolving style. That leaves us with the red album, Aaliyah.

Aaliyah the album solidified her as a modern day legend, a true artist well ahead of her time. She takes so many risks on this CD and is successful with each one. She takes a leap from her high soaring soprano formula and blesses us with edgy, rock infused experimentation which would have surely risen her star status had she been around to reap the rewards of her labor.

Each and every song on this album is laced with style, honesty and a vibe not conjured by many female artists of the last decade. Even 7 years after it's release, the quality surpasses most R&B albums and her voice is still so relevant to this day. I am not here to knock anyone down so without dropping names, I will say that all the current R&B females should be thanking their lucky stars that they don't have Aaliyah Haughton here to compete with. She would put all of them to shame.

Buy this album and listen to the voice of a modern day angel who is surely still singing to us from above.

Rise In Peace BabyGirl...