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:::Music Review:::
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Alicia Keys – "The Diary Of Alicia Keys"
by William Ashanti Hobbs
author and co-owner of Meroen Press
February 2004
Concept albums may be a sign of an artist who has some kind of concept of what they’re doing or trying to
achieve.
Although not exactly as elaborate and exact
as Ice Cube’s "Death Certificate", "The diary of
Alicia Keys" at the very least, serves as a closer
look into the pain and passion of the woman who
somehow became a suspiciously light-skinned,
long-haired, monster record company-backed motive in
the eyes of hard core neo-soul lovers for India Arie’s
consistent snubbing at award time during 2001-2002.
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For those in that category wishing for a sophomore
jinx, forget it. At best, the rich-melodied,
mysterious brush on the lips that was "Songs in A
Minor" has pretty much flowered into a slow,
well-timed, open- mouthed kiss with "The Diary..."
The issue here is whether or not you’re getting enough
tongue out of the deal to want to close your eyes.
"The Diary..." begins with "Harlem’s Nocturne," a
classical intro- the type of musical sophistication
that stood her out from the pack with her debut. It
patiently builds tension into a modernized, haunting
track of her inviting everyone into her musical diary,
where each song may very well be a page.
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"Karma" does not disappoint for the jilted, backed by
a laid-back beat and a violin that sounds like sparrow
in distress, Keys gives a classy middle finger to a
dude back for another chance after ruining what once
was. Immediately, you see that Keys’ homespun wisdom
from "Songs…" was not a marketed ploy for the older demographic.
Girlfriend got some old-school schooling
from her moms. The background singing will have you
checking liner notes to find Lauryn Hill’s name. The
break beat even reminds you of the whole Fugee crew in
their heyday.
"Heartburn" is a cute foray into uptempo, James-Brown
type, seventies funk. The song seems too tentative on
both the horn arrangement and Key’s vocals to turn the
"this-could-wind-up-as-a-jingle-behind-some-Tum’s-Antacid-commercial"
corner and get onto the
"stay-in-your-car-even-when-it’s-parked-until-the-song-is-finished"
street. “Dragon Days” seems conflicted in this regard,
though it’s stylistic indecision will be palatable
enough to the clueless, Ashanti mall crowd.
"If I was your woman/Walk on By" is driven by the
hypnotic "No Other Love" beat that made Faith Evan’s
debut album hard to shake. Key’s use of it here,
again, sounds like someone who appreciates the effect
it had on her as opposed to some hip hop producer
strong arming her into short cuts. The remake here is
executed well enough in a fresh new light to have
younguns thinkin’ it’s a brand new song while the old
schoolers hum the lyrics off to themselves.
If you don’t know "You Don’t Know My Name" by now,
you don’t know black radio. Here producer Kanye West
has Keys give up some tongue for real about her not
being noticed by a guy who frequents a café she once
waitressed. The lazy tinkling of the ivories massages
you right at your temples while the bass drum seems
sympathetic to a heartbeat in rapture. The doo-wop
background singing sets up the best female macking
this century. I have seen stone cold players set their
drinks to the side and cover their smiling mouths when
Keys pulls the cell phone "breaking up" move.
"If I ain’t got you" was born somewhere in the
seventies with its return to the importance of love
and relationships. Many half-cooked neo soul artists attempt this,
substituting raw feeling with practiced vocal runs and
posturing, Keys shows genuine emotion in the vocal
delivery of keys and the background – which lightly
scratches at the top of your throat the way cigarette
smoke – or fighting the urge to cry - does.
"Diary" deserves recognition solely for bringing in
Tony! Toni! Tone!, the most consistently breaking up
contemporary soul band around. The arrangement gives a
mature, easy going feel that almost impatiently
invites you to walk hand in hand with her over
turbulent waters. And I will say it here and now, Keys
sounds like India Arie in the first verse and other
moments in it!
"Wake up", is mellowed call to quit ego games within a
relationship. Yes, we’ve heard this before, but this
one is notable because Keys doesn’t come off like a
frantic, pillow clutching Mary J. Blige victim or the
super hard "I hate men motif" that’s becoming as tired
as bling-bling. This one’s evolved because Keys
addresses both she and the man’s possible
contributions the problem. "So Simple" slides by Lauryn Hill’s neck of the woods,
continuing the conversation Keys starts in "Wake Up",
sampling what sounds like Lauryn in "Ex-Factor."
"Nobody not really", has a jazzy, experimental flavor
like Tina Marie in her "Portuguese In Love" era.
Fleeting moments of humility and desperation waft over
this track. You can see Keys as a girl on her back in bed, staring
at the ceiling with her diary and pen on her belly,
wondering why to even bother writing another word. It’s a
dangerous thought for an artist and seems unfinished
in its resolution, especially in being the last song
on the CD.
"When You Really Love Someone" is clearly the
continuation of "Song…’s" "A Woman’s Worth." It may
seem redundant message-wise and may delve too heavily
in the "Fallin’" melody range but again, the vocal
delivery’s baffling; how can someone that young come
with it like a forty-something woman whose lived fast
and hard?
There is no one else in Keys' generation willing to
say what she’s saying here. This kind of love is what
an elderly lady once defined to me as "dirty draw’s,
mix-match socked, Corinthians 13 kinda love." The kind
that is not sexy, flashy, or selfish enough to be in
style. The kind too powerful to have background music
behind it when in movies. Grown ass love. Damn the
classic musicianship, the politics of her
80’s-friendly looks and universal marketability. This
is truly Keys' greatest gift.
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