The Diary of Alicia Keys released in December 2003. However, it is easy to hear why The Diary of Alicia Keys was so popular – well-written, well-played and, although it boasts a cast list commensurate with all urban albums of the 21st century, it is unmistakably the vision of one person. Alicia Keys burst onto the music scene in June 2001 with her debut release Songs In A Minor on. There can be a level of suspicion about Grammy-gathering albums often subsequently reduced to their statistics – US No.1 618,000 US sales in its first week alone – as this often says little, and commemorates only the commercial accomplishment. The 38-year-old singer-songwriter is the third. Diary, which features Tony! Toni! Toné!, is faultlessly languid late-night soul with a superb “your secrets are safe with me” hook. The 2020 Grammys are fast approaching and while the lineup of performers is impressive (Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, and Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, to name a few), were most excited for the evenings host: Alicia Keys.This is her second year in a row hosting musics biggest night, with the show airing on CBS Sunday, January 26 at 8 p.m. During an interview with The Guardian published on Friday, Sept. Keys has already served up the first sounds off the album, sending radio. Grammy winner Alicia Keys is celebrating the release of her seventh studio album, ALICIA, with a trip down memory lane. Titles such as Harlem's Nocturne and her cover of Gladys Knight’s If I Was Your Woman (which merges into Isaac Hayes’ version of Walk On By) make her nods to history explicit it's like some RnB relief teacher coming in and taking the class.īut it is so much more than just that – the album is all about mood and groove. His 'My Boo' co-star, Alicia Keys, says shell have a new version of The Diary of Alicia Keys out before the year is over. With contributions from artists such as Kanye West, Timbaland and John Legend, at times this album is like an academic exercise in spotting her reference points. The meshing of modern street funk with its gorgeous, string-laden predecessors is hardly the freshest concept, but the subtlety – and Keys’ stunning voice – carries it through. Lead single You Don’t Know My Name is built around a sample from the 1970s New York group Main Ingredient’s Let Me Prove My Love to You.
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They could so easily have been full of gauche heart-on-sleeve angst, but fortunately everything is kept in good measure with the listener being drawn into her world of contemporary takes on classic soul. Keys states in her accompanying notes that the 15 pieces of music here are like diary entries.
#Alicia keys diary year release plus#
Released two years after the 20-million plus sales of her debut, Songs in A Minor, The Diary of… underlined 22-year-old singer and pianist Alicia Keys’ increasing maturity and her significance to 21st century American music.