As many know, today marks what would’ve been the 34th birthday of ‘One In A Million’ maestra Aaliyah.
Though her life was cut tragically short in 2001 at the young age of 22, the sweet voiced songstress had already collected more hits and accolades in that brief time than many artists 2-3 times her senior. In such, we at That Grape Juice, like so many around the world today, pay homage to the everlasting legacy of the late R&B hitmaker.
But this time, with a twist:
With a catalogue rich with nearly a decade of hits, most remember Aaliyah for club grooving cuts like ‘Back & Forth’, ‘Are You That Somebody’, ‘Try Again’, and ‘Rock the Boat’. And, while these numbers are still on repeat here at TGJ HQ, we would like to lend a lens to examine the singer’s slow grooves.
For, just like she could get the party started, Haughton had her fair share of slow jams and ballads that deserve attention as well. Indeed, jams like ‘One In A Million’, ‘4 Page Letter’, ‘Young Nation Under A Groove’, ‘Heartbroken’, ‘Don’t Wanna’, and ‘Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number’ still had no shortage of ‘groove’.
But, it was songs like ‘The One I Gave My Heart To’, ‘I Care 4 U’, ‘Journey To the Past’, and ‘I Refuse’ that not only showed off her signature falsetto, but also ventured into range of rarely used belts that really showed off her vocal chops:
We can’t help but wonder how things would be for the R&B beauty if fate would have it she were alive to compete with today’s R&B elite. But, we know, as long as there are fans in search of quality music – her name will remain in mention with the best of them. And, with hopes of hearing new music courtesy of label Blackground Records, the legacy is set to carry on for generations to come.
We salute you Baby Girl.