alicia keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys arrived on the scene back in 2001 with her No.1, multi-platinum debut album "Songs In A Minor." The Grammy award winning album made Alicia a worldwide superstar and a true force to be reckoned with in the music industry. "The Diary Of Alicia Keys'" puts Beyonce, Shakira, Underwood, & all of today's female artists from every genre of music in the bargain bin. The album starts with the classical song "Harlem's Nocturne." Her Piano playing is superb, then a choir joins in aided by a fine beat.Her debut album was ever so slightly overhyped which then made the follow-up, "The Diary Of Alicia Keys," ever so slightly over-anticipated upon its fall 2003 release.

There are other flashes of brilliance throughout the album that let you know that Alicia is a force to be reckoned with. But you always get the feeling that there is too much left in reserve."If I Ain't Got You" displays Alicia's superb vocals perhaps better than on any other track. Alicia really sells the song and this is the second single. Meanwhile, the gorgeously-melodic "Diary (Featuring Tony! Toni! Tone!)" is a definite album highlight. The gentle piano creeps in here and drops to offer superb lyrics; "Just think of me as the pages in your diary." "Dragon Days" is one of the album's highlights. Alicia sings of the dragon days when the fire was hot, like a desert needing water, baby! Her soulful voice totally complements the song's mature mood. "Wake Up" is yet another highlight with Alicia displaying her vocals once more in an up-tempo track about relationship troubles.

Obviously Alicia couldn't compete with her debut single "Fallin'" on her comeback single, so what does she do? She releases a six-minute, future-classic love ballad masterpiece with spine-tingling piano trickles and a full-on telephone section, remeniscent of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You!""When You Really Love Someone," seems like a cross between "A Woman's Worth & Fallin?" I would call it the former part two. "Wake Up & So Simple" are too familiar & the latter has some annoying sounds. "Slow Down," is reminiscent of Janet Jackson's "Lets Wait Awhile." "Nobody Not Really," is lighter & has a less cloudy or dark feel as if the day was just starting.