I Care 4 U (with Bonus DVD)

Aaliyah ~ I Care 4 U

Pop history teaches that posthumous releases generally fall into one of two categories. There's the creep-out, with eerie lyrics that appear to foreshadow the artist's demise (see Michael Hutchence's solo disc). And there's the cash-in: the label or management scrapes the barrel to turn a buck. Luckily, Aaliyah's I Care 4 U is neither. Serving as both a greatest hits collection and a summary of stuff she'd been working on before her death in August 2001, the disc is a keen reminder of just how talented the 22-year-old was as a singer and song stylist. Sure, it's easy to have rhythm aplenty when R. Kelly and Timbaland are guiding you, but Aaliyah's silken phrasings are her own, and her ability to unearth tenderness in even the funkiest jam is a testament to her vision of R&B as musical comfort food. Songs from her three studio albums are well represented. Among them are "I Care 4 U" and "More Than a Woman" from Aaliyah; the title track and "Got to Give It Up" from One in a Million; and "Back and Forth" and "At Your Best" from Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. Of course, the universally praiseworthy brand-new tracks--"Come Over," "All I Need," "Miss You," and "Don't Worry"--are the real goods. An accompanying DVD featuring a handful of videos and behind-the-scenes footage makes I Care 4 U crucial for fans. --Kim Hughes