When one thinks of Alicia Keys, one thinks of classic beauty, piano mixed with R&B soul and a creative rhythm to jam along to. Keys has won several awards since her debut album, including five Grammys by the age of 21. She recently released her second full-length album and has completed her sold-out solo tour.
Her MTV Unplugged album has the same style and imaginative influence, with more ingenuity added to each song. Alicia Keys Unplugged is an upbeat, rhythmic compilation of some of her best work. Featuring artists like Mos Def and Adam Levine, the album mixes things up with covers and improvisational playing, showing just how truly talented Ms. Keys is at such a young age. Her voice is finely tuned on every track and her fingers gracefully walk over the keys of her precious piano.
On the track "How Come You Don't Call Me" she uses her audience to create the nice background beat of clapping. Her voice is gorgeously deep and at the same time feminine as she sings "Always though that maybe baby our love was right / But I guess it was all wrong." Background singers make the song feel very bluesy and intense. She even invites the audience to sing along with her, which always puts an artist in the audience's good graces. She speaks cute little blurbs as the music continues to keep the mood and idea behind the song clear. The piano is jazzy with a medium tempo. As she continues to sing, her voice and emotion get more and more powerful.
The song "Diary" has fast key working and a higher pitch. It is more melodic because the notes are fast but fluidly combined together. Her voice is softer and more breathy as she sings, "I won't tell your secrets / Your secrets are safe with me." The hand drums are close to nonexistent in the background until the chorus adds a powerful backbeat that is perfectly combined with the electric guitar that starts to play, giving this track a good mix of R&B and jazz. A flute compliments the higher notes of her voice and the piano. Again in this song Keys shows unbelievable control over the power of her voice.
She plays her hit song "Fallin'" as beautifully on this live album as the original version, showing no studio sound or effect is responsible for her greatness. The song opens a capella with the background singers, which is a nice touch. She then immediately begins what seems like the end of the song, a fast brushing on the symbols with her belting out "I keep on fallin' in love with you." A violin plays low, soft notes in the background, which flow nicely with her deep voice and the high pitch of the hand drums. Keys plays deep and resonating chords on the piano, which in turn make the song resonate.
This album shows the true brilliance and versatility of Ms. Alicia Keys. She is not a product of the studio but instead a product of life, learning and the need for self-expression.
Grade: AB
