I are perfectionists, and if you listen to the music, there is a lot of passion in it." While recording the album, Kelly coached her as they worked several hours in the studio. She often sang the songs multiple times in order to achieve "excellence". When discussing the hectic hours recording the album, Aaliyah said: "We put in a lot of hours; as far as the music, we’d be in there all night making sure it was perfect. There were times when I was tired, but I knew I had to push on if I wanted to come off." Kelly claimed that Aaliyah was "one of the best young artists" he had worked with. During the recording process for the album, the record label was out of the loop in regards to the type of songs that were being recorded. Executives from the label didn't hear the album until it was finished, and they were impressed with the finished product. Sledge said: "When we finally heard the album we were blown away because the album was dope. It was basically like listening to an R. Kelly album, but with a little girl singing". Music and lyrics Aaliyah sang her songs in a falsetto on the album and felt that the songs "came at you kind of tough, a bit edgy, hip-hop, but the vocals can be very soothing". According to Aaliyah, "lyrically I want things to be different." The album is filled with "sunny" pop jams and "sweet" ballads, and opens with the intro track which is an a cappella public service announcement. The intro urges its listeners to listen to the album carefully: "Listen to instructions carefully / While bumping this album in your jeeps / Aaliyah’s got a '90s swing / So be careful with the volume, please". The next track, "Throw Your Hands Up", is an anthemic up-tempo G-funk-inspired song and has been described as Aaliyah's "statement of purpose". On the song, she tells the listeners that she's "straight from the streets" with a "touch of jazz" in her. The third track and the album's lead single "Back & Forth" has been described as being a Dance, pop, R&B and New jack swing song. On the song, Aaliyah sings with a "subtle, laid-back vocal" while she talks about partying on the weekend with her friends. According to Billboard, "It doesn't matter that Aaliyah is 15. It’s the