i won’t lie to you,
when the red album by aaliyah first came out,
i thought it sounded really weird to me.
i’ll never forget going to tower records to listen to it…
“we need a resolution” sold me and i wanted to hear the cd before i bought it.
for gen z,
millennials had to go buy music in an actual store.
i ran into star fox’s brother while i was down there.
we both listened and i just couldn’t get with it.
i didn’t understand it.
sonically,
it was such a different sound compared to her sophomore album,
“one in a million”.
this time,
she went with a more futuristic sound working with static major.
he is a musician so he heard it differently than i did and broke it down to me.
regardless,
we both ended up buying it that day.
Who knew in 2021,
this album would sound like it was released today?
aaliyah was way ahead of her time with her self-titled red album.
even though i love her second album,
this album grew on me like a weed the more i listened.
it is a vibe from start to finish.
it also became the soundtrack to a very fun summer.
Remember when “Rock The Boat” and “More Than A Woman” dominated 106 and Park?
my queen rising from the dead has been the best thing for this shitty year.
i’ve pretty much been listening to this album all day because it was needed.
i mean,
she had a song about domestic violence on this shit.
it’s so bittersweet listening to this knowing it was her final album.
i know she would be happy that her work is finally available on streaming platforms.
my only beef is:
Where TF is the hidden track,
“Messed Up”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXuLzhbPLj4
why was that song replaced with “try again“?
i need blackground/empire toupdate their files.
“i care 4 u” will hit streaming services on october 8th.
rip to aaliyah as we continue to celebrate you.
I love being able to listen to this music 20 years later and hear things that I didn’t catch before. Aaliyah is a sanger in the same vein as Brandy. They both excel with vocal layering, harmonies and adlibs. Aaliyah does runs on every track and it’s so beautiful and doesn’t distract. In fact her adlibs create an atmosphere within the music itself, now that’s talent! Singing is not just about being a powerhouse, it can be about technique or emotion and the best can do both at the same time. Aaliyah is one the best because I can feel her heart and the same time her prim and proper execution wows me. Her tone is also top tier!
Production wise Keybeats being relatively obscure works in her favor because we can’t correlate anything else to them so her music sounds like 2001 but only in the best ways. There is a timeless quality to the proceedings and with it being unavailable for so long it’s helps in preserving her sound for the ages. Static was really her best asset because all of the songs are tailor made for her style so nobody else can sound like her. He deserves all of his flowers as a great writer and arranger.
Aaliyah was a complete artist from the visual to the music to the vocals and that’s what need to be celebrated. The visuals for Are You That Somebody, Try Again, We Need A Resolution, Rock The Boat and More Than A Woman are works of art that was miles ahead of what her peers and cohorts were doing. She really was THAT girl and it sucks ass that she didn’t get to live into her womanhood because if this is what she’s giving by the age of 22, I can only imagine what she would have accomplished by 42. Rest in power and paradise Babygirl! They still trying to keep up with you.
Sad state of R&B/hip hop when an album from 20 years ago fits right in now. Nothing too innovative going on in mainstream R&B except a few artists. Granted, I’m pretty picky about the music I listen to. Love Aaliyah & enjoyed some of her songs at the time she was alive but didn’t give her enough of a listen back then. I was too busy listening to alternative rock & groups like Outkast & Miss E who gave me that freaky vibe I like in my hip hop. I’ve been converted in the years since to Aaliyah & glad her music has been revived just when we needed her. Halleloo to our lordt & saviour Aaliyah. A-f’n-men!
I was so mad her music wasn’t anywhere online. My sister had the CD and back then you can upload the CD to iTunes and play it on your iPod. That was the best decision I ever made and now I want the studio quality so I have to wait for the streams. I refuse and rock the boat was my shit.
“I refuse is epic” the way the music builds and builds. It’s so theatrical. Aaliyah was so musically diverse.
This album is so iconic. It really has stood the test of time. It sounds like it was released today. Deff one of my fav albums of all time. Also one of my favorite album covers of all time. A simple off chart beauty shot with the red tint. My baby ate. Love and miss you Queen!
We need the ultimate Aaliyah compilation on streaming services also!
“I Am Music” and “John Blaze” are one of my favs from her!
John blaze was the shit… That entire album was full of bops. Timbaland (although he get some recognition) doesn’t get enough credit for all that he has done for music.
Ps Aaliyah’s duet with missy “best friend” is good too.
So I never had her self-titled album, but I DID have the “I Care 4 U” album which has a lot of these songs on it anyway (including my personal favorite “I miss you” ) man listening to some of these songs again makes me teary eyed, it’s like I’m right back in 8th grade & no time has passed at all! ..music truly has immortalized Aaliyah
I miss you is so good and I don’t know what to tell ya and come over are stand outs for me.
I was a huge Stan when she was alive. When this album came out it was everything. I care for you, I refuse, we need a resolution, and loose rap were my favorites. It took me a while to get into rock the boat but I grew to love it. Aaliyah never had a huge voice but she had a beautiful voice and she really used it to great affect in this album.
^loose rap thoooooo >
i always loved that one.
i was bouncing between “it’s whatever”, “extra smooth”, and “those were the days”.
Extra smooth was so good!
The I care for you album is great too.
She was such a good artist. Quiet as it’s kept, some of her best work was on soundtracks. Are you that somebody, try again, I don’t wanna, back in one piece. Hits for days.
They should’ve had a verzuz with brandy, Monica, and Aaliyah. They ruled young people music in the 90s.
I thought I was the only one up in arms about Messed Up not being up there. I listened to the album all last night why studying for a Chem quiz and working on an assignment for Physics then ended up oversleeping lol. This album is a grown adult album. That’s why we really couldn’t understand it then. I love “I Can Be’ the song where she mentions being the other Woman. Tank wrote that from what I hear. I miss the days of CDs. I purchased an actual CD Version last year but it was lost after my car was totaled. So I ordered a Aaliyah Vinyl this year, waiting for it to ship eventually so I can play it on my record player. Digital streams don’t feel like it did when you copped a new CD. Rest in Peace Aaliyah