Review Summary: It's almost worth the mounds of hyperbolic claims it receives.
Entering the music world with her debut album,
Songs In A Minor in 2001, Alicia Keys was sure to make an impact in the hip hop spectrum of the music rainbow- whether fans and ritics expected it or not. As a young, beautiful black woman from the ghetto, some listeners figured she would end up being the stereotypical artist from the hood. And oh man, did she show prove them wrong. Not long after getting her foot in the door, she released
The Diary of Alicia Keys in 2003, showing just some of her impeccable talent as not only a vocalist but all in all as a very able musician.
The Rack
Through almost all of the tracks on the album, an incredible sense of originality and constance can be heard, that would set the bar high for many future artists and releases. Nowdays, the backdrop sounds from songs like
If I Was Your Woman and
Dragon Days have been replicated to match with songs from quite a few hip hop composers, most recognizable with the likes of quite alot of backpack rap artists (Atmosphere, Doomtree, etc). Not only do her songs carry a beat however;
Karma,
If I Ain't Got You,
Diary and
Harlem's Nocturne in particular let the listener indulge in the sounds of a beauifully played piano, guitar and violin in a harmonous mix with her singing.
DAT ASS
The passion and feeling that she's invested into this is more than clear to the auditor. The majority of the songs on the album are so heartfelt and down to eartthat everyone can relate at one point or another.
Samsonite Man brings you into the confusionof how a woman sees a vagabond man who she has strong feelings for, but who can't change his ways.
Nobody Not Really expresses her feeling of lonliness and that nobody truly cares, even when she is surrounded by peple. It really does make you feel a if you have read her diary when hearing the lyrics. In my opinion, it takes a strong and talented artist to flow the way that she does and capture you in the moment of the music.
Wake Up is a perfect example of that. "Who's gonna rescue us from ourselves? When we gonna wake up, baby, it's time for lovin, when we gonna wake up my baby before it's too late?" says it all.
The Rawr Vocals
In he work previous to this, she had shown the world the power that has built in her over the years as an artist. In her sophomore album she shows this- times ten. Her ability to hold a note is breath taking at times, and its almost like you have to restart the track to take all of it in at once. With most of her songs being love/relationship related, she more than passes the expctations of the intensity we forecast to hear in such songs.
If I Was Your Woman,
You Don't Know My Name, and
If I Ain't Got You play the part as a trio to show her audience that love can get the best of us, no mattr who you are or where you come from.
Dragon Days most definitely can sum up the content of the entire album; The struggles and companionshp of love, catchy choruses, exquisite instrumentals, and the undeniable voice of a revolutionary soul musician.
If you haven't heard the likes of Alicia Keys, it will be no regret to take a listen. In this milestone of her musical career, she has done a wonderful job of projecting exactly who she is into a record- and successfully pulled it off. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only listener that would rate it so hghly. It did spawn four singles to reach the Billboard Hot 100 and won ASCAP Top R&B/Hip Hop Song of the Year with
If I Ain't Got You.
