Aaliyah is the self-titled third and final album released by the late r&b singer Aaliyah. The album was released in July 2001, more than a month before her passing in August 25, 2001. The album spawned three singles: “We Need A Resolution” - released before her passing, while the other two were posthumously “More Than A Woman” and “Rock The Boat”. The album topped the South African and the US albums charts, achieving 3-times and 2-times platinum status respectively.
Track List:
We Need A Resolution (feat. Timbaland)
Loose Rap (feat Static)
Rock The Boat
More Than A Woman
Never No More
I Care 4 U
Extra Smooth
Read Between The Lines
U Got Nerve
I Refuse
It’s Whatever
I Can Be
Those Were The Days
What If
My Top Five Picks:
5th Place - I Refuse
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4th Place - I Care 4 U
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3rd Place - We Need A Resolution
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2nd Place - It’s Whatever
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1st Place - Rock The Boat
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It’s the last music video she shot before her passing
The beats are fantastic and the way Aaliyah dances around them with her voice is amazing, but the album goes on a bit too long. Four to five minutes songs for over an hour was definitely a problem in 90s R&B. If there were more punchy energetic songs to break it up I would be fine with it, but it's kinda the same thing over and over. Not to say that Aaliyah and Timbaland aren't a great match for each other, but I think that this could have been cut down significantly and been a great album instead of just a good one.
PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
This is both so much louder and aggressive, but also a lot happier and less gothic than all previous PJ Harvey records. The desperate melancholy is replaced with a tough edge that suits her well. The guitars are loud and rich and her voice is full of an aggressive sensuality. If other PJ Harvey albums are threatening to drown you in a swimming pool then this album is going to hit you with a truck.
Solange - A Seat At The Table
Does talent run in the family or does money make talent? No matter because this album finally sees Solange Knowles stepping out of her older sister's shadow. While 90s neo soul sometimes falls flat for me 10s neo soul really does it for me. The beats are so simple but punchy and let Solange's voice sit front and center without getting boring. And the lyrics of course are the centerpiece. The whole album is very focused on the intersection of fighting for representation as a black woman in America and the amount of self care that is required as a part of that journey. I'm not a black woman, but I am a trans woman so I can sort of connect to the struggle to be recognized and the struggle to just try to live your life in the meantime. It's pretty relatable to almost anyone living as anything other than the 1% these days.
Neil Young - On The Beach
I know I'm in the minority with this opinion but this album is... fine. Sorry it just isn't one of his best. It lacks the edge of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and After The Gold Rush, but it isn't as lush as Harvest. I don't think it's a worthy follow up to those albums and so it's just... fine. It's not bad at all. Neil Young is an amazing musician and there is something great to be found at nearly every stage of his career, so it's fine that this album is just... fine. Tonight's The Night is better anyway, just skip over this one.