Aaliyah. The name of the woman who gave birth to every teen sensation out since her debut. this includes Mya, monica, christina aguilera, britney spears, 3lw, 702 etc. She made it tight to sign a teen to a record deal. With 49 minutes of sheer genius of R. Kelly production and songwriting ( no they were never engaged) catapults this from mediocrity to being a cd for the ages. This beautiful girl with the beatiful voice knock folks on they heels with Back and Forth, then she went for the knockout punch with At Your Best and the title track. All the songs are brilliantly done and sung. Production is timeless. Another opus is Street Thing. Do not sleep on thsi joint anymore. Cream will always rise to the top. Dont get it twisted about Aaliyah. I bet some people think she a new artist which is pretty ridiculous. The mother will return witha album this summer drops on July 17th. She teased u with Romeo Must Die soundtrack but it is now time to restore order in her household of little "teenyboppers". If you consider ya self a true r&b fan then you should already have this cd If you dont you should be at the store in the next 15 minutes u will not be disappointed.

Aaliyah's debut CD yielded two Top 10 singles - "Back and Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)" (the later or which was written and originally recorded by the Isley Brothers). However, the CD is filled with great songs, including a great balance of hip-hip songs (Throw Your Hands Up, Down with the Clique) and ballads (Age Ain't Nothing But a Number). Almost any of the songs on the CD could have been a hit single. That said, Aaliyah's voice was not as mature as it would be later, and some of the lyrics are a bit juvenile (if you're not down with my clique/ then you're poop on a stick).

The entire CD was produced by R. Kelly (he appears in the shadows on the CD back cover and is name-checked in several songs). With one producer, the CD sounds very cohesive, but it also is not as varied as her later CDs. It was rumored that she and R. Kelly were married at the time, even though she was only 15 years old. Her marriage seems to be addressed in the song, "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number," which argues that she is wiser than her years would seem.

At times, the album sounds a bit dated (the CD "One In a Million" is much better). One of the lyrics states, "Aalyiah's got a 90's swing," which is pretty accurate - the CD sounds very much like an early 90's hip-hp CD. Despite this complaint, I still greatly enjoy this CD. It sounds great and is a lasting tribute to Aaliyah's talent. We will miss out on hearing future recordings from this superstar, but will continue to enjoy the music she left behind.

Sad and weird it is, but the fact is that I hadn't bothered listening to Aaliyah before. All I knew was that she had starred in "Romeo Must Die" alongside Jet Li.

Now, I found out this morning she had been killed in a plane crash yesterday, in the Bahamas. So I figured: let me see who this girl really was!

And I saw myself listening to her music, to be gladly surprised that she's not the common type of R&B act at all: she died at 22, so that makes this 1994 album a remarkable feature, having recorded it age 14! If you listen to the sample tracks above, you'll be as amazed as I continue to be...

I know her music will live in the hearts of all her fans, and will continue to gain the respect she well deserved. The biggest irony of all is that barely a month ago, her new album had hit the stores, one which the majority of the public reviewers here in Amazon have termed 'more mature' and 'eclectic'.

R.I.P. Aaliyah

I have to say, I had this CD ever since it came out, and it's my most favorite out of my whole CD collection. Aaliyah has an original sound so she can stand out from everyone else...I don't think anyone can top her voice, because she sings like an angel. For her debut album, it's beautiful...makes me fall asleep every night when I listen to it because it's calm and makes me feel good.

One of my favorite tracks on this CD is "At Your Best (You Are Loved)" because her remake of the song is really good. The beat to this song is nice and steady, and her voice makes the song very catchy; it's something you would fall in love with.

Some other catchy tunes are "Back And Forth" (her first single), "Young Nation", "Down With The Clique", and the title track, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number".

I think the CD is very enjoyable, and I highly recommend purchasing this CD.

Aaliyah was one of the most unique R&B artist of the 90's. Aaliyah had a sound that wasnt heard often. Her sweet, soft, soothing, and yet sexy vocal's over hard hip hop beats, wasnt something that would be heard a lot.

In 1994 Aaliyah at just 15 arrived on the music scene with her single "Back and Forth" produced by R kelly. The song was an instant smash reaching the top 10 of billboards hot 100 and topping Billboards R&B chart, the single was also certified Gold for sales of over 500,000 copie's.

In May of that year Aaliyah released her debut album "Age aint nothing but a number" under Jive/Blackground records. The album was a huge success. Peaked in the top 20, and is certified double platinum in the US, and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The album was very impressive for someone so young, Aaliyah recorded most of the tracks at the young age of just 14. Aaliyah was so mature for her age, and she wouldn't disclose her age at this time so people wouldnt think "Shes just a teen girl trying to sing" she wanted people to see her true talent.

The second single from the album was the sultry remake of an Isley Brothers classic "At your Best" the song again was an instant smash, again made the top 10 and was certified gold. The album version is similar to the Isley Brothers, a beautiful ballad, which really showcased Aaliyahs vocal ability, but the single version was a upbeat remix not available on the album.

The third single was the title track "Age aint nothing but a number" which was again another sultry ballad. The song was not as big as the first 2 singles, but gained some success.

Those were the only singles from the album in the US, but in Europe they recieved "Down with the Clique" as a single.

The vocal's on this album are simply outstanding, R kelly really had Aaliyah singing. On the powerhouse ballad "Street Thing" Aaliyah really gave her all,and recieved much praise for her vocals on that song.

This album was the start of a very special career from Aaliyah. Aaliyah would later return 2 years later in 1996 with her sophmore effort "One in a Million" which is now considere an R&B clasic album.

Aaliyah was an amazing artist, and will be forever missed, and if you want to hear Aaliyahs early stuff i really suggest you check out "Age aint nothing but a number" it is an amazing addition to your CD collection.

Rest in Peace, Aaliyah.