But Groove Theory need not live in the shadow of any other record, since it has an abundance of its own virtues. Just a year later, in fact, Aaliyah hit commercial and artistic pay dirt with her second album, One in a Million, which plays precisely as if Timbaland had heard and then used Groove Theory as its sonic blueprint, right down to the cool, prepossessing vocals, which are demure rather than ostentatious, unlike the flashy singers then-dominating the genre. Not only did it (in retrospect) help to herald the progressive neo-soul movement, but its melding of decidedly hip-hop production techniques - steady drum patterns, plentiful loops and samples (though mixed with live instrumentation), even a modicum of turntable scratching - with the emotional impulses and themes of soul was still a novel approach to making R&B at the time. Groove Theory's debut effort is an exquisite, even innovative album. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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