The Diary of Alicia Keys

Right from the first notes of this album you know that this isn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill R&B record. Yet at the same time this definitely isn’t what you’d expect from your average classically trained musician. It is precisely this fusion of classical training combined with fresh urban beats and lyrics that are the key (if you’ll excuse the pun) to Alicia Keys’ success. A talented songwriter and singer, and an extraordinary pianist, she has risen to become one of the most successful young female singers of the decade.

And successful she has been indeed. Her debut album 'Songs in A Minor' sold over 10 million copies worldwide, 50 000 of those on the very first day of release, and brought home a string of awards including five Grammys. Recorded in downtown Manhattan over a period of eight months, her follow-up to 2001’s smash hit was always going to be closely watched.

This latest offering from the New York-based singer, 'The Diary of Alicia Keys', displays the same maturity beyond her years that was so evident on 'Songs in A Minor', but this time around takes on a more personal dimension. As the album title suggests, each song is intended as a snapshot of her life and throughout the album you get the distinct feeling that she is spilling her thoughts and emotions onto the page with each song. As she says on her official website, her music is a continuous learning curve.

"I didn’t stop writing after the first album came out and everything I wrote since then came from the experiences of my life, of being on the road, travelling, dealing with different situations."

Yet as much as this album covers some new emotional ground for her, many of the tracks go right back to her gospel/R&B roots. 'You Don’t Know My Name' in particular is probably the most old-school R&B track on the album, reflecting Alicia’s love of ‘60s and ‘70s music. You can almost see the backing singers clad in slinky black swaying in the background. Although apparently loosely based on a real experience, I must confess that this rather drawn out tale of a coffee-shop waitress coyly asking a regular customer for a date got a bit tired after awhile. R&B aficionados will love this one, but most others will be reaching for the skip button after the first two minutes.

I was also slightly disappointed with her duet (or should that be quartet?) with the late ‘80’s hit-makers Tony! Toni! Tone!, after eagerly expecting them to bring some of their funk-laced grooves (remember hits such as 'If I Had No Loot'?) to the recording. With the eponymous title, 'Diary', it makes full use of smooth, late-night bass lines and Keys’ sultry voice, but with the three Tony’s vocal contribution limited to some subtle backing it is less of a collaboration than one would expect from such greats of the ‘80s New York music scene.

'Samsonite Man', expertly written about people who pack up their emotional baggage and leave as soon as a relationship gets too intense, is also worth a listen.

But the track that did it for me was the ever-so-slightly-sinister 'Dragon Days'. Written and produced by Alicia herself, it is a stunning blend of old-school R&B sensibilities blended with classical training and a healthy dose of blues guitars courtesy of Ronnie Drayton. Written on the tour bus, she says it was all down to missing that special someone while on the road: “It was about how the days were draggin’ and I was feeling like a damsel in distress… you know, mixing the idea of ‘dragging’ and ‘dragon’”.

The effect is stunning and although its slightly sinister undertones means it’ll never be a radio hit, it is undoubtedly the highlight of the album. A perfect showcase for Keys’ considerable arranging and song-writing skills.

Keys’ follow-up album is a seamless piece of work; a sultry groove-filled album that will astound the listener with her powerful yet seductive voice and insightful, original song-writing.

Even if I can’t confess to being the biggest R&B fan in the world, lovers of good music will revel in the pleasure of listening to a musician who can actually be described as such, and isn’t just the equivalent of a marionette on a string singing other people’s songs and dancing the steps they’ve been instructed to. Alicia Keys is without doubt a supremely talented musician first and foremost, pop stardom merely a fortunate side-effect.