Best debut album?


They all came out in the same time period (94/95), and had big hits singles for each album. Also, all these girls were fairly young, but who had the best debut album outta these three?

Charting singles off their debut albums:

Aaliyah:
Back And Forth (#5 US, #1 R&B)
At Your Best (You Are Love) (#6 US, #2 R&B)
Age Ain't Nothing But A Number (#75 US, #35 R&B)
No One Knows How to Love Me Quite like You Do (#70 US)

Monica:
Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days) (#2 US, #1 R&B)
Like This and Like That (#7 US, #1 R&B)
Before You Walk out of My Life (#7 US, #1 R&B)
Why I Love You So Much (#9 US, #3 R&B)

Brandy:
I Wanna Be Down (#6 US, #1 R&B)
Baby (#4 US, #1 R&B)
Best Friend (#34 US, #7 R&B)
Brokenhearted (#9 US, #2 R&B)



For me, it goes Monica > Aaliyah > Brandy.
Which was the best and least best debut album outta these 3?

I thought Brandy's was the best debut of the three until I bought "Miss Thang" by Monica and was blown away by her slow jams. Such a maturity in her voice I loved that Brandy and Aaliyah didn't show in their ballads. Monica wins this hands down. And that voice, Dallas Austin said some of the songs were recorded when she was only 12. Aaliyah's is my least favorite but I LOVE her version of "At Your Best."
[Edited 10/20/08 13:58pm]

Monica>Aaliyah>Brandy

MONICA

also, didn't Adina Howard and Monifah drop around this time also.

Three debut albums I dont own..however single wise Brandy's Baby and Best Friend BEEEAT and that takes the cake
[Edited 10/20/08 14:11pm]

shesoffthewall said:

12 years old??

daytonohioplayer said:

same thing i said.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

i believe so, but i never really liked any of them. ONE HIT WONDERS IMO.

To be honest, besides "Don't Take It Personal" Monica wasn't on my radar like that back then, and I certainly wasn't into her follow-ups as much.

I would have to say
1. Aaliyah
2. Brandy

junebug18 said:

I had no idea that Monica's singles charted better than the other two. All top 10's, not bad.

shesoffthewall said:

Almost suspect.

Cinnie said:

She had the best voice and production than the other two so I'm not so surprised.

Aaliyah's album is definitely the weakest. I love that girl and I love the singles, but there's definitely some filler in her debut. In fact, the 3 main singles are far and away the best tracks. Are those of you putting Aaliyah first really saying you'd want to spin that album from start to finish? Really?

Brandy's album is pretty solid. The singles are all great, but there are some very good album tracks (e.g. "I'm Yours," "As Long As You're Here," the cute "I Dedicate" interludes) that make it a satisfying listen.

That being said, Monica's debut is far and away the best album. It's not even remotely close. Again, the singles are all excellent, but so is "Angel," "Forever Always," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and "With You." There are also two outstanding covers, "Let's Straighten It Out" (featuring Usher) and especially "Tell Me If You Still Care." It's a shame she never produced another album as good from start to finish as this one is. While Brandy and Aaliyah gave us just a hint of what they could do on their debuts, this still stands as the best of Monica.

Monica >> Brandy >> Aaliyah

Cinnie said:

Well, "Like This and Like That"/"Before You Walk Out of My Life" was a double A-side single. Still, both songs were inescapable on R&B radio at that time. I actually prefer both over "Don't Take It Personal," which I incidentally prefer in the remixed form (later in the album) that interpolates Jermaine Jackson's song of the same name.

junebug18 said:

Adina Howard is certainly a one-hit wonder, with "Freak Like Me" being huge and her other singles barely making the top 40. OTOH, Monifah actually has 3 medium-sized hits. Her debut single seems to be her signature song, but "I Miss You (Come Back Home)" peaked at #16, making it her third-biggest hit. The follow-up, "You," just missed the top 10, peaking at #11. Her biggest hit came 2 years later when "Touch It" hit #9.

Brandy

I owned her debut.

Didn't get into Aaliyah fully until the One In A Million album. But I did like "At Your Best," "Back & Forth" and "Young Nation."

I was never all over Monica like that. I liked some of her singles, but never her full albums. Didn't own "Miss Thang."

Mara said:

Mara, you need to go buy that sh!t tomorrow! Really, it's that good.

AlexdeParis said:

Nah, I'll pass. I liked "Why I Love You So Much" but other than that, I'm just not into her. I'm more on the Brandy side of the fence.

Believe me, there were fights back in the day over who was better: Brandy or Monica. When "The Boy Is Mine" came out, all hell broke loose. lol

AlexdeParis said:

exactly. The only song remember from her was 'touch it' and 'i miss you'. nothing else memorable. lol. i guess she's a two hit wonder to me.

TonyVanDam said:

best debut album. you can mention your favorite debut singles as well.

junebug18 said:

"You" is easily my favorite.

Mara said:

Just like Michael and Prince, it's perfectly acceptable to like both. I think you'd like "Angel."
[Edited 10/20/08 18:14pm]

Speaking of "Angel" Debra Killings was killin it on the background vocals throughout Monica's album including TLC's albums.


[Edited 10/20/08 18:27pm]

AlexdeParis said:

LOL. Damn... that was her song....brings back a couple memories. I played the youtube clip and starting singing along with the hook verbatim. okay, okay... 3 songs...she still a nobody.

artists like brownstone and zhane, who had similar amounts of hits i can remember easily, but monifahs songs? not really...sh1t.. i remember hearing some zhane and brownstone joints on satellite radio in the summer....i have never heard a monifah track since like 98.

anyways back to the thread topic. aaliyah's debut wasn't that bad. what didn't you like on it?

junebug18 said:

Well, I wouldn't call it "bad," but it's not great. The production is very R. Kelly by-the-numbers right down to sampling the Isleys on "Old School." The backing vocals leave much to be desired (see "No One Knows..." and especially "Throw Your Hands Up"). I like "Young Nation" and "Old School" enough, but the rest of the non-singles are easily the weakest songs of her all-too-short career IMO.

AlexdeParis said:

I agree, Monica has not topped herself since releasing her first album, unfortunately. I appreciated the sophisticated sound she had on her first album. I'm in a Monica type of mood now because of this topic.

"Miss Thang"


"With You"


"Never Can Say Goodbye"


"Now I'm Gone"



[Edited 10/20/08 19:58pm]

Had a mad crush on Brandy for a while, so if you asked me 8 years ago I'd say Brandy, I do love Brokenhearted, but that's also 'cause of Wanya he always moves me with his vocals. I like that song slighty better than the Monica songs overall, but Monica's album. As for Aaliyah, not really strong enough, all these girls are talented tho.

Monica>Brandy>Aaliyah.

AlexdeParis said:

I need to get to know Monica's better, but yeah I'd rather listen to Aaliyah's debut start to finish than Brandy's. Back then I listened to both ALOT.

TonyVanDam said:

ow thats my song im bout to cut it on right now.

Monica w/ "Miss Thang" hands down. It's still a great album to this day for me. "Skate" would have been a kick-ass video if she had released it. My favorite Brandy and Aaliyah albums were definitely not their debuts.

For Aaliyah it was "One In A Million"...very good from beginning to end.

For Brandy it was "Never Say Never"...that was a such a good album.

I have all 3 and love them, but I liked Brandy and Monica's albums best. Musically, Brandy was better, and vocally, Monica.

Brandy's voice was kinda mousy to me and her show got on my nerves - I did watch it at times though

I did play Monica's slow jams ALOT

Aaliyah was my girl- the whole RKELLY crap turned me off though- I was intrigued by the situation surrounding her death and that last single was one of my faves

I own both Aaliyah and Monica albums but no Brandy

Envy, Brandy's debut album was wayyyyy before her show could ever get on your nerves.

I remember seeing the video for "I Wanna Be Down" on Much Music while my family was staying at a hotel, and that day I went on a mission to buy it. I jammed the hell out of that album too.