April 23, 2002
Aaliyah : Rock The Boat
Overproduced to the point where the song skids past you on a trail of its own slickness...
The Aaliyah phenomenon gets weirder as the months pass. Though the singer is of course still dead, there's no accounting for previously arranged scheduling commitments, and so has a movie coming out soon, and look, another single from her album, too. Which this, syrupily enough, is. There was undoubtedly a talented young performer in Aaliyah, but 'Rock The Boat' is one of the less memorable tracks from her album, overproduced to the point where the song skids past you on a trail of its own slickness. The sexual/nautical lyrics also continue the overall feeling of wonkiness. "Let's take this overboard" sings Aaliyah. All is no matter, of course. The tragedy of the tale outweighs the crapness of the record, and Aaliyah,'s status as the Tupac of R&B remains assured.
John Robinson
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