It is one of the greatest moments in modern soul history: The
first few seconds when Aaliyah Haughton, then only a 15-year-old newcomer,
opens her cover of the Isley Brothers' "At Your Best (You Are Love)"
with a few seconds of a cappella brilliance. "Let me know … let me
know," she sings with grace, before offering a wordless cry with
incandescent softness.
Back in 1994, Aaliyah's career-defining interpretation
topped out at Number Six on the Billboard Hot 100, but that was due to radio
programmers and BET's Video Soul spinning R. Kelly's "Gangsta Child"
remix, which relied on a bass-heavy G-funk beat and an alternate vocal from
Aaliyah that's more restrained than the version on her debut, Age
Ain't Nothin' But a Number. But from its release, the LP version drew a
cult following, first through constant airplay on the late night mix shows that
still populate black radio; and then through samples and homages like Drake's
"Unforgettable" and Frank Ocean's rendition for his recent
"visual album" Endless.
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