One In A Million vs. AALIYAH

[🇯🇲 dollybaby 🇯🇲]

In honor of Blackground re-realeasing these albums, which one do you favor more?

I love the red album and album cover, but the Missy and Timbo production on OIAM was sick. All the Timbaland tracks were on fire! I love Never Comin' Back! I love all the non-Timbaland tracks as well, especially the ballads. The only track on the AALIYAH album that I could never really get into was "I Care 4 U".

They were a dream team that could work magic through Aaliyah the way Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did with Janet. Such a shame that they weren't fully able to do more albums with Aaliyah.

[daneeis]

Both albums are timelessly amazing albums. But the red album is superior. She infused pop/rock elements with R&B, ("What If" and "I Can Be") sang about refusing to stay in unhealthy relationships ("I Refuse" and "Never No More"), the production on "We Need a Resolution" was so innovative, etc. I can play this album straight through with no skips. I appreciate this album more and more with each listen. 

"One in a Million" the song holds a special place my heart. It has been my favorite song since childhood. Back in the early 2000s, I would pirate music and burn CDs. On the CD that had "One in a Million," I drew a heart on it so I would remember it included OIAM. I grew up on ONIAM, 4 Page Letter, If Your Girl Only Knew, and The One I Gave My Heart To, but I didn't purchase the album until 2009. It quickly became one of my favorites.

I favor One In a Million more although AALIYAH is a better album.

[elementd5]

I adore both albums, but feel that Aaliyah is a better album overall. Probably because of the diversity & sequencing. Even though I love most of the songs individually, I have to be in the right mood for the ballad-heavy latter half of OIAM whereas I feel each song on Aaliyah in sequence brings a totally different vibe than the previous track, which I think I appreciate more. Also never really been a fan of “Ladies . . .” and “Got to Give It Up” on OIAM (or the intro/outro), whereas for me Aaliyah has no skips.

[Ling-Ling]

It's a dead heat for me. I think Aaliyah works better as an album and is more consistent, not a skip in sight. But the highlights on OIAM are up in the stratosphere. The singles from OIAM mop the floor with the ones released from S/T (and that says a lot because those S/T singles were still 10/10's).

Catch me on any given day and my answer is gonna be different. Right now I'm leaning more towards OIAM.

[back2blk]

I will revisit this once Aaliyah is fully on streaming and I'm capable to dive in, YouTube ads are from the pits of hell.

That being said, right now, from what I recall when the albums came out, I skipped more tracks on Aaliyah than I did on OIAM.

Where I feel Aaliyah has her best material, I think some of the album is dated. Whereas OIAM, for me, still has the most songs I enjoy today.

Edit:  Okay, I've given Red album multiple revisits already, and I stick to what I said.  OIAM is her best overall work, while Red has her best songs.