Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys
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Free Music Notes for The Diary of Alicia Keys
Free Music Review: She's Done It Again!
Hit: 5 Stars
After her debut album, I waited. And waited. I had to see if she'd pass the "sophomore slump." Pass it? Heck, she blew it out of the water too many times over!
Her enigmatic personality is what keeps everyone guessing, even if the music you hear from her now is the music that could've seamlessly played some 25-30 years ago--and you wouldn't have even known the difference! She is truly a genius, and Timbaland and Kanye West are as well, understanding her need to keep it fresh, but old-school.
I wonder if anyone ever called her an "old soul" to her face, because she truly is, and this album reflects that more so than her debut. If she keeps this up, she'll have a long, lustrous life ahead of her. Maybe that's why she was so confident. She did her own thing, worked hard for what she wanted, and isn't looking back--and doesn't regret what she did or didn't do. Although I have to agree that she may be one of the most commercial artists of the neo-soul scene, she also proves that she can take a little risk in collaborating with other artists so that she can't afford to get "stalled" in her own creativity.
Of course, we'll never hear all of Alicia's diary entries--she'll let you see what she wants you to see, and it's always from a distance, like a story that's being told to you. If she was in these positions herself, you'd never know it from the songs on her CD. The only thing that we all know is that we keep clamoring for more--and that, my friends, is the secret to her success. My favorite tracks: "Karma", "Heartburn", "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You" (those two songs went on to radio overkill), "Diary", "So Simple", "Wake Up", and "Nobody Not Really".
She is a truly gifted songwriter, musician, and artist. Keep us groovin', Alicia! Although you are not revolutionizing R&B, you are bringing it back to the basics, and make old-school music sound like new again.
Free Music Review: Her music comes from the heart and it's still worth purchasing!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album tops her first one. She's one of few performers who can wear the title of artist and wear it well -- she's always honing her craft, and produces marvelous results!! This album is proof that Alicia means biz-nessss when it comes to producing quality music.
One pet peeve I have in regarding this album is that my two most absolute favorite tracks on the album are the two shortest ones!! The last track, "Nobody Not Really" is a beautiful song, but it's under three minutes long; the other one that's tops with me is "Feelin' U, Feelin' Me." It's an interlude, but it's so smooth, it should have been a song in itself. It has a definite "get busy" kind o' vibe. She plays the Rhodes piano and synthesizers on "Feelin'..." so well that Stevie Wonder, the perfect or of the Arp and Moog synthesizers, would be proud!
Of course, "You Don't Know My Name," is the gem of this album, and "Heartburn," which is produced by one of the hottest producers (pardon the redundancy) in the biz, Timberland (move over, P-"Dippy"), pays homage to the foremothers and forefathers of funk -- if you wanna "get jiggy," then this is the song to listen to. The slower songs, "If I Ain't Got You," and "When You Really Love Someone" (which sounds like a combination of "Fallin'" and "A Woman's Worth" from her debut album -- which is good thing) also score big with me.
Alicia Keys has done a superb job on her second album. She has injected herself right smack into old school. Her full bodied musical effort conjures the street corner harmony of The Delfonics with a generous tinge of Teena Marie inspired musicianship. To just say I absolutely love this album doesn't even come close to describing the total listening pleasure it gives me. It is in a class all to itself.
Free Music Review: A Beautiful Diary
Hit: 5 Stars
Those who thought "Songs In A-Minor" is amazing have only heard the beginning. Many thought that its high quality could never be matched or beat. "The Diary of Alicia Keys" beats it. These tracks, which were written from her heart, account her personal thoughts and trials through the last two years of her life. Her powerful words are song amazing soulful, forcing listeners to feel what she's singing. Such quality proves that she's close to Aretha Franklin's level. Her piano playing is equally amazing, further expressing her words. Her combination of Motown R&B and modern day upbeats offer a unique and unmistakable sound with her songwriting. Compared to "Songs In A-Minor", her slightly more full sound, by adding a couple extra instruments, offer the added distinction. In a time when mainstream music is released only to make money, Alicia Keys represents and gives hope to true musicians. Obviously, she only performs because music is her passion. This may be why her songs are much better than everyone else's. Her talents are delivered in a variety of ways in this album: love, loneliness, sassiness, and more. Regardless if she's singing ballads or upbeat songs, she never flaws a single note. Her hit single "You Don't Know My Name" capitalizes her musical evolution within the past two years.
"The Diary of Alicia Keys" proves that there will be no artist like Alicia Keys. She states with her musical quality that she'll be around for a long time. This album will be a classic. This is sure to please many listeners.
***Expect Alicia Keys to receive at least six Grammy nominations for 2004, including Album of the Year. She deserves them all. She could possibly repeat her five Grammy wins for 2001.
Free Music Review: A real musican; a more real woman!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is coming from a musician:
All in all her music is hers. Nobody else writes her Sh*t... plain and simple. This is proof of originality and gives me hope that the music that we know and love, in 20-30 years will not evolve into stories of the elderly telling bed-side tales of when there were such things as natural drum sets and real pianos and guitar riffs that weren't born on computers.
Although the future of music and its industries are hard for foreshadow or tell what will become of them, one woman [Alicia Keys] as well as a hand full of other musicians will work hard and truly feel the music they make and save us from these hard times.
She has a way of writing that no one else has. The piano melody perfectly accents and sets the mood and tone for her voice in which lyrics seem to effortlessly come from. Her songs have symmetry unlike any other artist and cultivate and prepare music for its rebirth into the future.
The only way you will truly know how amazing and full of life her two CD releases really are is if you buy them. Commit to her passion and you will not be let down [if you have a heart]. This is the quality of music in R and B [and everything Keys is] that i have wanted to write as far as R and B...and this is coming from a man who listens predominantly to heavy metal...I am diverse and diversity IS what you will purchase from Alicia Keys if you buy her CDs.
I bought her CDs because:
1) I respect her
2)She is truly a well-rounded musician and I feel that no matter what genre of songs she writes towards they will be good, they will be hers, and they will speak unlike any other artist has spoken before her.
Peace all,
Troy
Free Music Review: A Diary of truth
Hit: 5 Stars
The song "Diary" from Alicia Keys had an impact on me because I was drawn by the actual melody at first. The piano melody and the mellowness of the song had me hooked from that time and still to this day. Now in accordance with the lyrics, in listening to them everyone whether male or female can find a correlation between them and their own life. Whether it is what they want in a mate or if they deem themselves that type of person anyone can find something in the lyrics pertaining to relationships that they can relate to. On a personal level I can find so many parallels with the lyrics and my own personal life, either a must have in a boyfriend or reflecting on the type of girlfriend that I am. This song makes you think about your own relationships past, present, and future in such a positive light. The impact of this song seems small yet it really is large because of the amount of contemplation that you enact after listening to it.
Now from Ms. Keys point of view I believe that this song is written from experience in relationships both good and bad. This song is just in written form a promise that she makes to them and does not break. I believe she is expressing her deepest feelings through being loyal. Trust is an important part of a relationship and she is making a good point that she is capable of being a good girlfriend because you can "just think of her as the pages in your diary." The reason behind why she wrote the song was probably to get all of those emotions and thoughts off of her chest and she knew that other people could relate to the same type of experience. This song is so deep I recommend it to anyone who wants something easy to listen to and a clean song that has a positive meaning and will affect them in an optimistic way.