So I picked this up and as much as I like Aaliyah, I find the same pattern over and over with her music. She puts out an album and I love a couple songs on it, but I don't get into the rest. This one is no exception. Which I hate to say because the week I bought this disc is the week she died in a plane wreck and I felt guilty for not liking the disc more. I really wanted to listen to it over and over until I could hear more in it than I did.
I guess that wasn't meant to be until a few years later. The first two tracks, 'We Need A Resolution' and 'Loose Rap' are songs I don't find much use for. They kinda drag and don't really engage me. But then, we get 'Rock The Boat' and everything changes. I may not have found much use for the album initially, but I do like her voice, her style and the way she carried herself. In fact, the video for 'Rock The Boat' is one of my all time favorite music videos. I think the dancing is unique, interesting and goes well with the music. Plus, for a song that's rather sexual in nature, the video was softer, elegant and mellow. The choreography was superb. This amazing track is where the album actually starts for me. It's followed by 'More Than A Woman' and I slept on this track until I saw the video. It must be the same choreographer because the dancing is amazing and it adds a wonderful dimension to the song I didn't hear until I saw the video.
'Never No More' is a sparse production and the singing is beautiful but the song does little for me otherwise. I know a lot of people really love this track, but I'm not one of them. On the other hand, 'I Care 4 U' written by Missy Elliott is one I completely dig. L-O-V-E, love it. This is one powerful ballad and she doesn't pull her punches on it. Wow. Next up is 'Extra Smooth' and although it starts out sounding like an ad for breakfast cereal, it quickly gets funky once Aaliyah starts singing. This is a number with a great deal of wit and style. The music is heavily influenced by the beat but in this instance, it works really well. The techno sounds are also interesting and offer a huge potential for remixing. I ended up really digging this track.
'Read Between The Lines' sounds a little generic to me. There were a lot of songs sounding like this when the album was released. It reminds me of Destiny's Child and I never really got into that sound. The first time I heard 'U Got Nerve', I thought I was listening to an old school Depeche Mode song. The keyboard sounds on this track sound like they were engineered from one of DM's old 80's albums. This is another track I love. It's got a staggered beat and an intensity in the vocal delivery I find apprehensive. Brilliant. Adversely, 'I Refuse' is another Beyonce sounding tune. Not fond of this track.
'It's Whatever' starts and I feel like I'm right back to 'Rock The Boat'. It feels like you're floating underwater and then that trickling piano drops in with a punctuating drum patch and her vocals just drip over the chords. There's a lovely build throughout the track and this is easily one of her most beautiful vocal performances. 'I Can Be' starts off like another delicate ballad, but then it kicks in with a driving guitar riffing and the direction of the song changes. There's a lot of tension in this one. 'Those Were The Days' is a funky tune. It's mellow and its got this groove that just kinda flows around you like smoke. 'What If' has that same tension 'I Can Be' has and that's no coincidence because they're written by the same person.
'Try Again' is the final track and one of best on the disc. I love this number. Aaliyah was more than just a beautiful woman, she was a vulnerable voice in a tough girl body. She was the right role model for the right time. A strong woman who still showed her feminine side and wasn't afraid to mix a tough attitude with sensuality. When I re-listened to this album to prepare for this review, I was sad because in this piece of music, you hear so much potential and I know there would've been so much more Aaliyah had to offer all of us. More she had to offer the music world.
My final words: TRAGIC THAT THIS IS THE LAST MUSIC THIS VITAL ARTIST RECORDED. BUT A BEAUTIFUL LEGACY NONETHELESS.
AALIYAH - AALIYAH
01. We Need A Resolution (Feat. Timbaland)
02. Loose Rap (Feat. Static From Playa)
03. Rock The Boat
04. More Than A Woman
05. Never No More
06. I Care 4 U
07. Extra Smooth
08. Read Between The Lines
09. U Got Nerve
10. I Refuse
11. It's Whatever
12. I Can Be
13. Those Were The Days
14. What If
15. Try Again
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