The Islandear
It is rare thing when an artist creates an album that encapsulates all of your feelings and attitudes in life. One that you listen to for hours on end and becomes your soundtrack for the weeks, months, or even years that you spend playing it. During my sophomore year in college that album was, for me, Aaliyah�s One in a Million.
One in a Million was released in the fall of 1996 and ended a two-and-a-half year hiatus for the sultry singer. As the first two singles �If Your Girl Only Knew� and �One in a Million� showed, Aaliyah had left her tomboy antics behind and was comfortably growing into her new role as a dedicated songstress. Combining with the then unknown duo of Timbaland and Missy Elliot, Aaliyah�s silky voice melted into Timbo�s sonic palette like butter on pancakes. With a confidence unseen even now amongst her peers, she sang about her
crush (�4 Page Letter�), broken heart (�The One I Gave My Heart to�), and loyalty to her man (�I Gotcha Back�), and Aaliyah seemed even stronger for opening up about her true feelings. The �woman power anthems" upon which Destiny�s Child has built its career of �Never Coming Back� and �Ladies In Da House� showcase a hurt Aaliyah working her way through complicated feelings without resorting to calling menbug-a-boo�s, scrubs, or ungrateful bill dodgers. Largely unrecognized by the press prior to her death, she seemed to be lost in the shuffle amongst Britney, Brandy, Beyonce, etc. However, there is evidence to support that without Aaliyah�s 1994 debut, none of her peers would have even been given contracts. In addition, while all of the young starlets of the day try to play up an image that combines the sweetness of the Olsen twins with the sexuality of Lolita, Aaliyah never catered to this audience. Granted she was extremely beautiful, but it never seemed like an act. And though her time on Earth was too short, she surely proved to be one in a million.
My Review
In this album Aaliyah breaks away from R. Kelly due to growth. This album is a ''love'' album and when I first heard it I got addicted! She was compared to a lot of people when this album came out, but to me there is no one else like her. This album includes R&B, Rap, Pop, and Funk. There were all original beats in every song. My favorite songs in this album are ''One In A Million'', ''4 Page Letter'', ''Hot Like Fire'', ''If Your Girl Only Knew'', and ''The One I Gave My Heart To''.
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