cletta1201's Full Review: Songs in A Minor by Alicia Keys
First things first, you can’t help but be successful if you get signed to J Records, and the person who is pushing the most is the one and only music svengali, Clive Davis, who also discovered Whitney Houston. At first listen, this album is good, not great, just good. After letting some of the hype die down, and going back to listen again, the album is still just average, but it’s a solid purchase from an artist who has tons of potential. There is so much hype built around Alicia Keys that there are very few things that can stop her runaway train of an album Songs in A Minor.
There are things that everyone in the world knows about Alicia Keys. You know she plays the piano,you know she won 5 GRAMMY'S(while India.Arie got 0 from 7 nominations), you know she likes hip-hop and you know she writes some of her material and oh yeah she can sing. But besides that, what makes her special? I’m not real sure. Perhaps she was just a breath of fresh air when music was in a really stagnate place. Kind of right place and right time, or maybe she is the genius critics have hailed her to be.
We’ve all heard Fallin’ about a million times, and I promise you it’s so much nicer to hear without having to look at the video, and it is a beautiful song. What’s so funny about it’s insane popularity is it’s fundamental simplicity. There is very little going on within the song, a pretty simple beat, the piano and Alicia. Who knew that this song would turn so many critics on their ear.
“Girlfriend” is a Jermaine Dupri produced track, and funny enough, it’s actually good. I think one of reasons that Keys is so celebrated is her diversity. Flipping from her Piano and I intro to a track that is quite obviously inspired by hip-hop. Maybe I just like this track because it contains a sample by Old Dirty Bastard(from the Wu-Tang) and I think he’s the man.
I personally prefer to hear Alicia singing at slow tempo, she has the type of voice that pours over you like syrup; heavy, thick and rich, it’s astonishing that she’s only 20. Another reason that people so easily bestow praise upon her. It’s not that this album is absolutely fabulous, it’s that you see in her the potential to be so much more. Her songwriting isn’t awe-inspiring nor are her vocals, but if she’s only 20, she has nowhere to go but up.
How Come You Don’t Call Me is the song that earned Alicia a spot on my list of artists’ who wish they were Prince. Since this song was written by Prince, I guess that’s pretty obvious. I’ve heard some pretty terrible Prince covers, but this one ranks as at least being decent. I suppose at only 20, Prince would be an inevitable influence for someone who also sights Biggie and Donny Hathaway
Troubles and Rock Wit U are easily skipped. I think nothing about them standouts (besides the sampling). I will say that I really like the way Alicia’s voice sounds on Trouble once the music drops after 1:45. A Woman’s Worth was an excellent pick as a single. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I kind of romanticize this one: ”You could buy me diamonds/ You could buy me pearls/ Take me on a cruise around the world/ Baby you know I’m worth it/ Dinner lit by candles/ Run my bubble bath/ Make love tenderly to last and last/ Baby you know I’m worth it.” NOTE: diamonds and pearls…Prince reference.
I’ve heard person after person say that they hated Jane Doe but I like everything, from the speaking in the beginning to the amateur beat box behind the beat. It’s just fun and light, from an album whose mood and tone is overall pretty serious. My favorite track of the album is the Brian McKnight cover of Never Felt This Way, I can appreciate good covers, and I think she accomplishes it with this song. I also dig that she chose a song by an artist whose talent goes under appreciated.
The only track that I am not absolutely crazy about is the duet with Jimmy Cozier In Love With Mr. Man which is a nice song, it simply didn’t move me as much as the other tracks did. I found it to be out of place and completely overproduced.
The album has a decidedly sensual feel to it; it’s an ode to lovers; past, present and future. There is also a bit of refinement due to some spectacular piano playing. There are things I think about this album that make it less than excellent for me. Butterflyz sounds like Alicia wrote it in 6th grade, so musically they dumbed it down to just her and the piano to make it sound more “sophisticated” and it doesn’t work. I said before I think the hoopla mainly stems from the recognition of her potential, as a singer and as a songwriter, and I’m sure we won’t be through hearing from her any time soon.
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