Rolling Stone
The tone is set with the opening track and first single, "We Need a Resolution," which is driven by a stop-and-go drum pattern, hand claps and a male-vs.-female take on the dissolution of a love affair. Aaliyah's voice snakes through the intricately sparse arrangement with cool confidence. That assurance is the foundation for the entire album. "What If" is a Detroit-techno-meets-industrial-rock workout that nods to Trent Reznor (another Aaliyah hero). Where too many R&B artists who decide to rock out affect a laughable rasp (Janet's "Black Cat," En Vogue's "Free Your Mind"), Aaliyah channels rock's aggression and attitude without resorting to caricature.She does the same with "Extra Smooth," which vaults somewhere beyond hip-hop and drum-and-bass, tapping into reserves of funk and playfulness that popular R&B hasn't accessed in ages. And the withering kiss-off tune, "U Got Nerve," is drenched with palpable F-you vibes. At the opposite end of the spectrum is a trio of dazzling ballads, "I Care 4 U," "Never No More" and the piano-driven "I Refuse." All have a deep, bluesy, jazzy undertow that pulls Aaliyah into soulful performances showcasing a bruised knowingness. They're the best she's ever been vocally, reflecting a stronger technique than is found on her previous albums. Another lesson Aaliyah has learned from hanging with Missy and Timbaland is the importance of humor, which permeates the new disc in ways both sly and subtle. Timbaland playfully dismisses her concerns on the give-and-take of "We Need a Resolution"; on "Read Between the Line," she lets her vocals get stretched in a jokey, elastic way. The wit in the production and dollops of lightheartedness balance the eroticism, outrage and heartbreak in the lyrics.The album's highlight, though, is "Rock Da Boat," a masterpiece of unbridled salaciousness. Aaliyah breathlessly purrs sexual commands ("Change positions," "Work the middle," "Stroke it for me . . .") over an airy groove whose instrumentation swells against and then falls away from her voice. The hypnotic rhythm churns with erotic heat; beats both soft and hard tumble gently over one another as synth effects flutter and swoop. This track is sex, pure and simple.The irony is that at the start of her career, the unapologetic, blunt sexuality in her music marked Aaliyah as R. Kelly's studio creation, a contrived plaything. "Rock Da Boat," unblushing in its frankness, shows that she has come into her own as a woman. She's at the wheel, steering her sexuality and using it to explore her own fantasies and strengths. And the joy you hear in her voice, in the grooves, is rooted in independence. R&B's reigning ice princess is starting to thaw.
My Review
This is my favorite album by Aaliyah. You can tell that she really matured. Not only with her vocals, but also in her style. She really did her thing on this one. All the songs are diverse. They are not your average R&B songs. To me it's also her most personal album. I love every single song on the album! :-)
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