As a kid, growing up in Manhattan, Alicia Keys never would have imagined that her debut album would land at #1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week. She probably didn’t even think that it would go double platinum after less than two months. She definitely had high expectations. She has been working toward a music career her whole life.

Her incredibly supportive mother would let her quit anything but her piano lessons, which she continued into her teens. At the Performance Arts School of Manhattan, she majored in choir. A teacher there gave her valuable instruction on her voice, which was the closest thing she ever had to vocal coaching. Due to outstanding grades, Alicia was able to graduate at the age of sixteen. Then she was accepted to Columbia University. Her love for music was too strong for her to stay in school. After leaving Columbia, she was signed to Arista records in 1998. When Clive Davis left Arista in 1999 to form his own imprint, J Records, Alicia followed. She spent almost two years writing and producing her debut album, some of which she had begun penning at the age of fourteen. Before dropping her CD, she appeared on many others, including the Men In Black soundtrack, Da Brat’s Unrestricted, the Shaft soundtrack, and the Dr. Dolittle 2 soundtrack. Her album, Songs in A Minor, is the CD that is getting all of the attention.

In an industry where Britney Spears can be successful, it’s understandable that a beautiful young singer who writes and arranges all of her music would also be successful. On the first day of its release, June 26, Songs in A Minor, sold more than 50,000 copies. This is mainly due to her exposure on BET, MTV, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. On BET’s countdown, 106 & Park, she quickly became #1. And, her video for her first single, “Fallin’,” was deemed Buzzworthy on MTV. Alicia definitely deserves it though. She takes R&B to a new level with her soulful voice and perfect touch on the piano. These qualities have earned her a comparison to Roberta Flack and a handful of nominations. She was nominated for two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, Best R&B/Soul single and best R&B/Soul new artist. She even won an MTV Video Music Award for best new artist. I thought her performance at the VMA’s was incredible, as did the audience considering she received standing ovation.

I think people are just amazed at how much this twenty year old has to offer. All but one song on her album was written, produced, and arranged by Alicia. She also played the piano on each track. There’s something about the way she mixes hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and blues. Songs such as “Girlfriend” and “Jane Doe” are mainly hip-hop. “Fallin’” starts off very classical, and turns into more of an R&B ballad. One of my favorites, “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” has more of a blues feeling to it. “Mr. Man,” which is a duet with Jimmy Cozier, is definitely the best song because it has a Latin rhythm and really smooth vocals. Lyrically, “Caged Bird” is a great song. You can tell that Alicia wrote that song from her heart when she says, “Right now I feel like a bird, caged without a key…I know why the caged bird sings.”

Each of the songs on this CD are good in their own way, whether it is in the lyrics or in the style of her music. I would recommend this album to any true music lover, especially if you liked her first or second single, “A Woman’s Worth,” which will soon be released. It’s obvious that this will not be Alicia Keys’ last successful album.

Back

Current Issue

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June