Admittedly, back in the day, I was one of the biggest Aaliyah fans. You can ask anyone that knew me. I had posters on my wall, owned all of her albums– I was just a huge fan of hers. Partially, because I had an older sister (who was a teenager when I was just a kid) who introduced me to her music back in the ’90′s. I have fond memories of riding around in my sister’s old car with the Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number cassette tape.
In any event, I can gather a specific memory from each of Aaliyah’s albums. She was truly one of my favorites. So, I insisted to post some of my favorite tracks from Aaliyah’s albums. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all of her music. But these are some of the favorites that just had a great impact on me.
Aaliyah – I Can Be (full) – listen
This was the Aaliyah I loved. This song was edgy and dark and as a complete music head, I appreciated the interpolation of the what sounds like Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” towards the end of the song. I felt like this was one of the most underrated tracks on her last studio album, Aaliyah, which dropped back in 2001. The track was written by singer/songwriter Tank and produced by Bud’da.
Aaliyah – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright (full) – listen
This song just made me feel like jamming back in 1996. Although most of this album, Aaliyah worked with Timbaland, this was a track produced by the famed Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. My favorite part, specifically is at the end of the second verse, where she sings, “You can do this baby/With the L-I-Y-A-H…”
Aaliyah – Young Nation (full) – listen
“Young Nation” just reminds me of trying to kick with my sister and her friends, knowing I wasn’t grown enough to be chilling with them. Although Aaliyah’s first album was my least favorite of the three (I still love it though), it still makes me feel like summertime with jeeps. Continue