Aaliyah: I Care 4 U

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald Rating: * * * )Aaliyah HHH

The inevitable posthumous release for the American R&B star who died in a plane crash last year isn't big on showing what might have been, just how far she got.

However, the better proof of that is her superb final studio self-titled album which this mines for its best tracks, along with hits dating from her releases as a 14-year-old under the dubious tutelage of R. Kelly, a smattering of unremarkable previously unreleased songs (including a remix of her cover of Marvin Gaye's Got To Give It Up) and a DVD which includes nine of her video clips.

Still, it's a reminder of how in her short time she rose above being just another product from the pop-diva factory — though that came with much help from producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and their ability to flow her sweet, quietly sexy voice over the askew angular funk of his backings.

Label: Shock