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On release, Aaliyah received highly positive reviews and charted at number two on the US Billboard 200, but sold diminishingly afterwards. Aaliyah viewed the album as a reflection of herself as both a young adult and a matured vocalist.
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The resulting songs deal with the complexities of romantic love and different stages in a relationship, such as infatuation, eroticism, conflict, infidelity, and heartbreak. The album's producers incorporated synthesizer melodies, fragmented beats, distorted guitar, and eccentrically manipulated vocals and song structures, while much of the lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Static Major, who shared a close friendship and strong rapport with Aaliyah. Dub, Rapture, and Eric Seats, as well as longtime collaborator Timbaland.Īaliyah is described in critical commentaries as an album of R&B, neo soul, and dance-pop, while drawing on an array of other genres such as funk, hip hop, alternative rock, electronica, and Latin music. Through her recording contract with Blackground, the singer worked primarily with the record label's in-house crew of writers and producers, including Bud'da, J. Additional recording took place at Manhattan Center and Sony Music Studios in New York and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, among other locations. She resumed recording in 2000 at Sing Sing Studios in Australia, where she shot her role for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned during the day and recorded songs at night.
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Because of its packaging design, it is also known as "The Red Album".Īaliyah started to work on the album in 1998, but rescheduled its recording around her developing film career. It was released on July 7, 2001, by Blackground Records and Virgin Records.
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Aaliyah is the third and final studio album by American R&B singer Aaliyah.
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