Songs in A Minor

by

Alicia Keys

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As a professional musician/composer/arranger, I was a bit skeptical of this CD. I had first heard Alicia Keys on the Oprah Show and immediately saw some genius. I was skeptical because she appeared to be pretty young and most up and coming artists have "one-hit wonder" potential. Alica Keys is the real thing. When I rate a CD, I base my score on how many cuts appeal to me. If I have to fast forward a couple of times, I give it a 4. This CD receives a 5 based on my never touching the skip button. You should listen at least three times before judging this one--I have found outstanding CD's are usually those that require plenty of listening before you realize it's great. Many musical styles are on this CD of which my favorite cuts include the Latin "Mr. Man" which is very addictive. "Fallin" is receiving plenty of air play and will probably wear thin on me but the remainder of the CD is well worth the asking price. "Caged Bird" is a really well written ballad which all should enjoy. Play "Piano and I" softly if kids are home. If you purchase this CD, you will be writing a 5-star review as I have! Great purchase.

You must all know how hard it is for me to write this. I am 31 and I am not at all happy with the popular music scene today (not that there is a real "scene"). With all the hype surrounding this album, and from what little I had heard from it, I was dead set against listening to it--let alone liking it. The other thing you must know is that my favorite singer/songwriter is Laura Nyro, who could pound a piano and sing her guts out more than anyone in popular music history (this side of Aretha Franklin, that is, but you can't really compare anyone with Aretha). So I figured why should I even bother, because no one can touch Laura Nyro (or Aretha). But I gave in and finally gave this a try.

But to my surprise--and here's the hard part--this isn't bad! It didn't make me a fan of hip-hop or modern R&B (though it made me a bit more tolerant of it). But in light of the current standards in pop music today, it is impressive. But, honestly, I can't imagine why anyone with a background in real soul and R&B would need this (sorry, but "real" means those introduced prior to the 1980s). It's nothing special, but I can see why young folks like it. It takes some of the elements that made 70s soul distinctive and sets them to an (annoying) synthesized drum beat--and therein lies the album's biggest downfall. The other thing that sinks the album is the typical "uh, uh" grunting and the unnecessary (and pretentious) "street" talk thrown in seemingly without reason other than to appeal to young listeners (who are certainly the targeted audience). Her vocal range is limited, with her high notes too strained--but this isn't an issue with me because I understand soul music, and it's not about perfection.

Another quibble is the liner notes. Again, she gets all ghetto in her thank you's ("be" is always spelled "B"). Plus, the liner notes point out more than once that "all songs written and arranged by Alicia Keys", though only 6 of the 15 tracks were credited exclusively to her as the songwriter (did it really take three people to write "Rock Wit You"???).

As for the tracks, the faux ghetto talk on the opening track is not a good start. "Rock Wit You" is a decent track, but that's only because Isaac Hayes recycled his 70s sound (e.g. "Shaft"). Like that track, "The Life" is about as 70s as you can get today, with the drum beat more in the background, which makes it more listenable. The minor chords on "Butterflyz" makes it immediately sorrowful and appealing, and is easily the best track on the album (and it seems free of drum programming and electronics, which is a huge plus). "Never Felt This Way" and "Caged Bird" are nice, with their spare piano and vocal arrangements. "Lovin U" is very Jackson-5-esque. "Fallin'" is okay, and unlike most people on here, I was fairly new to the song because I don't listen to the radio. All the other tracks are too over-produced. The album gets better as it goes along, which is unusual.

The whole album would benefit greatly from a percussionist. That alone would earn this an extra star in my book. I swear, I'll never understand the appeal of synethisized drum beats. It truly boggles my mind why it has become the norm today!

Also, I saw her perform on TV, and she certainly knows her way around the piano. This album definitely does not reflect that. She needs to get a drummer, throw out the forced street talk, and just rip it up with a band in the studio. Once she grows into herself, she might prove to be very interesting.