Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Aaliyah, Static (vocals); Timbaland (rap vocals); J "Rockstar" Dub (various instruments, programming); Rapture, E. Seats (various instruments); Sean Cruse (guitar); Black Orchestra (strings); Ron Blake (horns); Renzo Pryor (keyboards).
Producers: Timbaland, Rapture, E. Seats, Bud'da, J "Rockstar" Dub.
Engineers include: Jimmy D, Acar Keys, Michael Conrader.
AALIYAH was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. "Rock The Boat" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
"More Than A Woman" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Personnel: Sean Cruse (guitar); Ron Blake (horns); J. Dub (programming).
Audio Mixers: Ben Garrison; Jimmy Douglass; Scott Wolfe; Timbaland; Bud'da.
Recording information: Magic Mix Studios, LA, CA; Manhattan Center Studios, NY, NY; Music Grinder Studios, LA, CA; Music Grinder, Hollywood, CA; Sing sing Studios, Melbourne, Australia; Sony Studios, NY, NY; Soundtracks Studios, NY, NY; Westlake Studios, LA, CA.
Photographers: Albert Watson ; Jeff Dunas; Jonathan Mannion.
Aaliyah's self-titled third album comes some five years after her sophomore effort ONE IN A MILLION. . The singer has obviously put her time out of the spotlight to good use. She's joined here by a few old friends, including Timbaland (a co-producer of her previous album who also shares some production credits here).
For the most part this is a downtempo set, typified by the Missy Elliot-penned "I Care 4 U," a slice of old-school R&B that displays Aaliyah's sultry, fragile vocals to good advantage, and the Latin-inflected "Read Between the Lines." There's more depth to Aaliyah than her stock diva cover photos might suggest, as evidenced by the ambitious opus "I Refuse," which brings all the contradictions of a contemporary relationship into sharp relief, and the end-of-the affair "Those Were the Days," the lyrical and musical content of which reveal the singer's darker, more interesting side.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (8/2/01, pp.61-2) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A near-flawless declaration of strength and independence....AALIYAH is CONTROL, VELVET ROPE and JAGGED LITTLE PILL all rolled into one..."

Spin (8/01, pp.130,132) - 8 out of 10 - "...Deeper than anything she's delivered before...This is a hard record....the drama plays nonstop: slinky resistance, sideways flirtation, an edgy dance on the verge of getting it on..."

Entertainment Weekly (7/27/01, p.70) - "...A largely up-tempo, thrillingly melodramatic set that again takes a melancholy...view of matters of the heart....the zingy hip-hop-textured musical tracks...echo the feverish passion of the lyrics..."

Q (9/01, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Respectable rather than radical..."

NME (Magazine) (12/29/01, p.59) - Ranked #39 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001".

NME (Magazine) (7/14/01, p.44) - 7 out of 10 - "...A gentle subversion of diva-dom....a graceful album...sensible, responsible, fractionally freaked in atmosphere..."

Album: Aaliyah [Bonus Track]
#	Song Title	Time
1)	We Need a Resolution
2)	Loose Rap
3)	Rock the Boat
4)	More Than a Woman
5)	Never No More
6)	I Care 4 U
7)	Extra Smooth
8)	Read Between the Lines
9)	U Got Nerve
10)	I Refuse
11)	It's Whatever
12)	I Can Be
13)	Those Were the Days
14)	What If
15)	Try Again

Album: Aaliyah [Bonus Track]
#	Song Title	Time
1)	We Need a Resolution
2)	Loose Rap
3)	Rock the Boat
4)	More Than a Woman
5)	Never No More
6)	I Care 4 U
7)	Extra Smooth
8)	Read Between the Lines
9)	U Got Nerve
10)	I Refuse
11)	It's Whatever
12)	I Can Be
13)	Those Were the Days
14)	What If
15)	Try Again