With her trusty keyboard in tow, she allowed her black-and-white chords to launch a number of poignant songs on the project from “If I Ain’t Got You” to “Feeling U, Feeling Me.” Referring to her musicianship, instrumentalist Van Hunt said, “all you need is three chords and the truth.” Since that teaching moment, Keys became even more intimate with her piano on Diary. In a 2003 Rolling Stone interview, Keys publicized the best piece of advice she received at that point in her career. Keys’ implementation of the grittiest boom-bap beat while catching listeners off guard with her classically-trained ear and affection for ‘70s soul music proved to be the tactic for triumph. From its intro, “Harlem’s Nocturne,” it was clear what type of sound and content laid ahead. 1 hits softened the distinction between hip-hop and R&B (“All I Have” by Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J, “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce and JAY-Z), Alicia sought to sprinkle a little something extra on her 2003 sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (J Records). Now, it was time to recreate that magic for her next studio effort. Accolades galore, the best-selling album placed Keys on the right musical track. The soundscape, which boasted crowd-pleasing tunes like “Girlfriend,” “A Woman’s Worth,” and “Fallin’,” proved to be Columbia’s loss and Keys’ gain.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |