Missy Elliott never gave Gina Thompson a chance while she was under her wing at Goldmind Inc. from 1996 to 2001. Elektra and Goldmind never really played her videos and didn’t really put in much effort as into promoting the If Only You Knew album.

This album wasn’t promoted enough because it wouldn’t sell very well.  None of the singles charted. That’s why. Elektra did the right thing. You can see the maturity from her first album, Nobody Does It Better to this album This is one of those albums where its better to buy the singles instead of the whole album. That’s what people did 10 years ago when CD singles were still popular along with cassette singles, but those were dying out. The fans were upset with Elektra. The fans say Elektra lost a star.

Ya Di Ya was very good. It has great vocals as well as the lyrics. Her voice is really great on it! a very soothing song. Ya Di Ya was her first single featuring Missy Elliott. It has that Spanish mix and feel. The music video could have been improved with a little more money. Not her fault. Elektra and WMG were on the verge of going bankrupt around 1999-2001. This one is a standout track!

This is what Ya Di Ya is all about:

Gina is saying that the man she is trying to get with is talking a lot of irrelevant nonsense. Irrelevant nonsense makes her want to leave him and not want to be bothered with him.

Gina just came from a late night, but once she got in she didn’t feel right. The guy is uptight from the first time they met because Gina did not return his page. If he pages her once or twice, that’s nice. It’s crazy for ten times that he pages her. The mess that the guy is talking about Gina wants to say bye to him. The guy she is trying to get with is talking about irrelevant nonsense and it makes her want to leave him. Gina does not want to hear it. She does not want to be bothered by him. He is just really getting on her nerves.

Gina is not in the mood for the drama this evening. So Gina think the guy should be leaving because she doesn’t need this or him because is it doesn’t pay the bills. There are more guys with more skills that will definitely satisfy Gina. His talking is weighing out his good looks. Right now Gina thinks he should be walking right out that door.

On the last verse before the hook repeats, Missy Elliott wonders why the man she wants to get with is aggravating her. Everything he says agitates her. He’s bugging her with all that nonsense. Missy Elliott keeps it real on this song. She said don’t even play me unless he pays her bills.

So Gina asks him to take her number down from his pager so he can call her later. It’s obvious that Gina is tired of hearing from him. So she asks him to stop calling her for the night. Or week if she is really annoyed.

It Hurts seems to sample Toni Braxton/Deborah Cox ballad Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here. The gospel interlude in the middle has a real church vibe to it. Gina Thompson takes it to church with her sultry gospel vocals on this one. It Hurts stands out the most on this album sampler. Her lyrics are laid back. Although it will stick in your head for days on end.

It Hurts is very similar in musical style and harmony towards the Deborah Cox ballad Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here and the Lil Mo song called Why. In fact, the song It Hurts seems to sample the Deborah Cox ballad Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here and the Lil Mo song called Why. The samples are both similar in both sound, composition, style, rhythm, and harmony. The sound, style and harmony stand out the most for this Gina Thompson song. Deborah Cox co-wrote this song with Gina Thompson herself.

Ladies Anthem has a really great beat! Her voice is really great on it! Ladies Anthem is an ode to all the ladies out there whether single or married. Hey girls just want to have fun as Cyndi Lauper stated back in the 1980s. Ladies Anthem have been great for a music video.

Up All Night is a romantic song with laid back lyrics featuring Jon B. This one is a standout track! Jon B produced this song. Caught Up has a hook that will stick in your head for days on end. The song Caught Up would have been a great choice for a single and a music video. However Caught Up is only a snippet of less than 2 minutes.

Gina lays down her smooth vocals on this Coolin’ Out which she showcases very well. The religious, smooth church organ sound with the Hip Hop sample along with the 19th century/20th century ragtime vocals can be heard at the very beginning of this song. Think of this track as a 19th century meets 21st century type of track. Elektra and Goldmind Inc. messed up big time by not choosing this song to be a single.

You Can’t Play Me has a very erotic-sounding beat to a slow and mellow attitude-packed track which is done very nicely! It does sounds very lot like Monica’s “So Gone” to me. You Can’t Play Me has a Lil Mo feel to it.

I rate this album 3/5***.