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intereact!Alicia Keys
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 2001-06-26
Manufacturer: J-Records
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...
| Disc 1 |
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com's Best of 2001
She may be beautiful, but Alicia Keys is a musician first and foremost. She plants herself firmly behind the piano keys on her debut, unlike many of the booty-waggin' junior divas who are crowding the R&B videoscape these days. Though many of the tracks on Songs in A Minor are embellished with adolescent angst, this 20-year-old's substantial, gorgeously soul-drenched alto putties the cracks between notes with astonishing ease. "Fallin'," the album's first single, showcases Keys at her best. She wails plaintively and passionately over rolling blues chords, in the tradition of the greats that this young talent clearly wants to align herself with--Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Aretha Franklin. She swoops and soars over the spicy, flamenco-fueled melody that opens "Mr. Mann," one of the many winning tracks gathered here. And she digs deep into a remake of the beloved Prince B-side, "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" packing more heat into her melismatic wails than most singers twice her age. --Sylvia W. Chan
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5
1) Soul Is Reborn! Still Her Best, & Better Than All The Rest. [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Alica Keys' is the sexy Aquarian that won five Grammy's for this her debut album for a reason, she is that good! Take a piece of Roberta Flack, Al Green, & Stevie Wonder pour into a twenty first century Motown gal & you'll have Alicia Keys'. Rich soulful vocals, warm melodies & catchy lyrics that make this album a winner. Since she is classically trained it is clear after only one listening that her timing is perfect. There are sixteen tracks including two remakes, "Someday We'll Be Free & Prince's How Come You Don't Call Me." These two were fine but I like her tunes far more. They range from slow, midtempo, to fast. "Fallin," is hands down the best song on the album & for me the best ballad since the Rolling Stones "Almost Here You Cry" from 1989's "Steel Wheels" album. "Fallin" should have been the number one song of 2001, not Christina Aguilera's screaming tune. "Fallin" has an Acapella intro & the violin of Miri Ben Ari that comes in with a smooth feeling. "A Womans Worth," has a satiny flow of lyrics as she tells her guy about her fine qualities & how she deserves to be treated. Then how she will reciprocate because he is worth it. "Butterflz," a fine tune with a jazzy piano & flowing lyrics. "Never Felt This Way," has classic piano sounds & lyrics describing a first love. Other good tunes are "The Life," its catchy lyrics & an alluring melody give it a sensual 1960's soulful vibe. "Rock Wit You," is a funky song with a rich vocal delivery. "Girlfriend," has a rocking instrumental intro that was a pleasant surprise. With this album you will never have to hit the skip button. I love Alicia Keys' unique approach & the way she can immerse herself into the songs, whether they are her own or remakes. Lastly, she is the best new artist since the Police's first album came out in the late 1970's.2) One of the best R&B debuts of this decade so far [Rating: 4 out of 5]
A throaty, passionate singer and a first rate pianist, this album was a breath of fresh air from the formulaic wasteland that contemporary R&B is becoming today. When you listen to "Fallin'" you can tell that this girl has deep respect for masters like Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. Alicia Keys prides herself on being a musician more than anything else, and for that she earned a Best New Artist Grammy for this album.3) A strong force in the music world [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Alicia Keys, asside from her somewhat corny change of name, is a very giften vocalist, songwriter and pianist. She will most certainly be around the popular music scene for a long time.4) Doesn't get any better than THIS!!! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
The beautiful,heart wrenching,ballad"Goodbye"ALONE,makes this album,worth its' weight,in,DIAMONDS'!!!The lyrics'have the ability,to,HURL you backwards'through,TIME,to the moment,of your very FIRST,heartbreak!! Alicia does,an,UNSURPASSED,job,of making you see(and FEEL)this,through the eyes'of a(young,innocent) individual,who's,encountered this(DISCONCERTING)life,experience,for the FIRST time!!!Nostalgic lyrics such as"Is,THIS,the END???Are you SURE??How should you KNOW,when you've NEVER been,in love,BEFORE?!?(followed by)It's so HARD,to just LET GO,And this is the one and ONLY,love,I've EVER,known!!!the begging line,is CLASSIC(and true!!)How do you LOVE,someone,that's HURT,you oh so bad??With intentions' "good"was all he,EVER had..But how do,I let go,when I,loved him for so,LONG,and,I've,given him ALL,that,I,COULD!!! Summed up,with,HOW,do you find the,WORDS',to say...To say"Goodbye"...Find,the words'to say"Goodbye"...."When your heart,DON'T,have the HEART,to say...To say"Goodbye"!!!(other chilling lyrics'include:"Maybe,love,was,our whole(????)Giving up,what seems' your,LIFETIME,what,went wrong,with something,ONCE,so GOOD??!!? Ican't leave,out her brave confession:"I know,NOW,I was naive',never knew,where this would lead"...(ANTI,man bashing warning)And,I'm NOT,trying,to take away...From,the GOOD,man that he IS(not was)!!Alicia,turns'it personal,when she belts' out:"MY,heart,dont have,the heart,to say"Goodbye"This song,hits' VERY,close to home,with me also,because,a few years ago(which seems'like yesterday,to me)I had to,break off,my longest relationship(5 years')with a woman,that,I was still DEEPLY,in love with,because,after half,a DECADE,of recieving,not,an,IOTA,of,affection,I came,to the(VERY LATE)conclusion,that,if,she wasn't giving ME,any "natural"affection,then she MUST'VE,been giving,it to someone else!! Understand:sex,was NO problem,however,if,I desired,a hug,or just a loving kiss,and,some cuddling...NOTHIN' HAPPENING!! Wasn't my first time "at the pplate"but,nonetheless,it was the HARDEST,decision,I had,to make in my 35 years' of,existence!!!Alicias'SUPERB,song,then,as well as,NOW,soothed/soothes'the,pain associated,with that,tormentous,time in my life!!!BIG-UPS'to Alicia,for that MASTERPIECE!!! I,reccomend this album,as STRONGLY,as,I recommend,wearing,WARM clothes'in Michigan,after August,to EVERYONE,who might have had,a similiar situation,occur in their,life!!!5) Songs Of A Classic! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Considering the fact that I heard her sophomore album "The Diary Of Alicia Keys" before hearing "Songs In A Minor", the multi-platinum, critically-acclaimed album from singer/songwriter/pianist/musician Alicia Keys, I had high expectations of this album. Surprisingly, this album is just as good as its successor, showcasing all of Alicia Keys' talents to the fullest degree. Although this album is a lot more ballad-heavy and slightly lacks the diversity of her sophomore album, that doesn't mean that this album is any less soulful, emotional or stellar. "Fallin'", the classic R&B/Soul #1 U.S. smash hit piano ballad that solidified Alicia Keys as a force to be reckoned with, tells the story of a woman indecisively caught up between leaving or staying with her man, and with a combination of ethereal choir background vocals and moody violins towards the end of the song, it's definitely one of the best tracks on the album ; "A Woman's Worth", another masterfully arranged classic R&B/Soul where piano keys and wah wah guitar strings (amongst other instruments) are used in all the right places, finds Alicia Keys soulfully singing about how a real relationship is nothing without respect and how materialistic offerings won't always make the cut ; "Troubles", with its true-to-life lyrics and darkly moody instrumental arrangements, sounds both depressing and uplifting at the same time ; "How Come You Don't Call Me", a self-explanatory piano ballad written by none other than the Purple man himself Prince, finds Alicia Keys effortlessly pushing her powerful vocals to extraordinary heights with emotion and passion ; the huge assortment of instruments on the production of "Rock Wit You" is downright amazing if not a bit too lengthy ; "Mr Man", one of my album favourites, is a classy duet violin ballad with forgotten R&B/Soul singer Jimmy Cozier (the album's only guest artist) ; "The Life", another piano-driven ballad, finds Alicia talking about life (obviously) ; and the Hip-Hop-lite production from Jermaine Dupri supports Alicia Keys' feelings of envy and jealousy against another woman on "Girlfriend".Alicia Keys, being the multi-talented songstress she is, has managed to create a wonderful debut that has "classic" written all over it. Perhaps the album's only weak points lie in the following two songs - "Butterflyz" & "Caged Bird". The former track lacks the lyrical complexity and genuinely captivating realness of the other tracks, while "Caged Bird" falters with its overly mellow production. However, such flaws can be excused because Alicia Key's vocals are so vibrantly soulful and hypnotic that such flaws fly past with little to no notice. Definitely 5 stars!5 Best Tracks:"Fallin'""A Woman's Worth""Troubles""How Come You Don't Call Me""Girlfriend"Album Favourite:"Mr. Man (feat. Jimmy Cozier)"Honourable Mentions:"The Life""Rock Wit You"