Aaliyah: I Care 4 U | Music Review

MUSIC ALBUM REVIEW

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Aaliyah
I Care 4 U
***

by Sal Cinquemani on December 4, 2002
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Neither a posthumous album of all-new material nor a proper greatest hits package (among the casualties: One In a Million's "If Your Girl Only Knew," "Four Page Letter" and the gold-selling "The One I Gave My Heart To"), I Care 4 U is a half-assed attempt at satiating the Aaliyah fan's need for both.

The album's new songs, including the curiously-titled "Erica Kane" and the lackluster "Come Over," pale in comparison to those on last year's Aaliyah. Even the collection's poignant lead single, "I Miss You," and the cool midtempo number "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" seem like Aaliyah-lite. Of the hits that are included here, "Are You That Somebody," "One in a Million" and the title track, which was originally recorded in 1995 and became Aaliyah's highest-charting single, sound as forward-thinking as ever. Also included is a bonus remix of the Marvin Gaye cover "Got to Give It Up" and Aaliyah's gorgeous rendition of the Isley Brothers's "At Your Best (You Are Love)," which displayed a restrained vocal and ear for harmony way beyond her then-16 years. At its best, I Care 4 U is a condensed celebration of the young star's abbreviated life and career.

Label: Blackground
Release Date: 2002