Aaliyah, released on July 7, 2001, by Blackground Records and Virgin Records America, is the third and final studio album by American R&B; recording artist Aaliyah (pictured). Recorded periodically from 1998 to 2000, it is an R&B; and neo soul record, drawing on funk, hip hop, alternative rock, and electronica sounds, among others. Most of the song lyrics were written by Static Major, and deal with the complexities of romantic love and the stages of a relationship; Aaliyah viewed the album as a reflection of herself as both a young adult and a matured vocalist. Aaliyah received positive critical reviews, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, though sales began to drop off shortly after its release. Following Aaliyah's death in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, seven weeks after the album's release, sales skyrocketed, and the album reentered the Billboard 200 at number one. Aaliyah was released during a period of peak activity in contemporary R&B; since its initial reception, it has been cited by critics as one of the best R&B; records of its time.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaliyah_(album)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1456:

Twenty-five years after her death, Joan of Arc was declared innocent of heresy in a posthumous retrial. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrial_of_Joan_of_Arc

1846:

Mexican–American War: American forces led by Commodore John D. Sloat occupied Monterey, beginning the annexation of California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monterey

1892:

The Philippine revolutionary secret society Katipunan was founded by anti-Spanish Filipinos in Manila. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunan

1946:

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini became the first American to be canonized as a saint. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Xavier_Cabrini

2012:

The equivalent of five months of rain fell overnight in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, causing flash floods and killing 171 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Krasnodar_Krai_floods

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

adhocracy: (business) An organizational system designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the moment rather than excessively bureaucratic. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adhocracy

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

There are three schools of magic. One: State a tautology, then ring the changes on its corollaries; that’s philosophy. Two: Record many facts. Try to see a pattern. Then make a wrong guess at the next fact; that’s science. Three: Awareness that you live in a malevolent universe controlled by Murphy’s Law, sometimes offset in part by Brewster’s Factor: that’s engineering.   --Robert A. Heinlein https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein