A young woman in her 20’s with wicked production, piano and singing skills comes back for her second album. With a bookmark stuck on the soul page of music, this woman certifies herself a place in R&B for years to come.

Alicia Keys latest release The Diary Of Alicia Keys has that thump that hits the middle of you back and the creativity to hit the middle of your head. Heavy love lyrics, trips to the Rock and Roll, 70’s Soul, Hip Hop and Contemporary Pop leaves us with a product that we can listen and groove with.

“ Harlem Nocturne” starts the album with a fevered pitch with Alicia showing her skills on the piano with scratches. The depth of the keys played on the piano mixed with the beat is the perfect mix of what Keys brings to the table. This is a child born with a love for Hip Hop and an appreciation for classical, soul and other genres.

“ Karma” starts with a match like a strong marching like buildup followed up by the sound of horns and an upset Keys talking about an using situation where her man has been taking advantage is on the other side of the store window and now wants back into her life. What goes around comes around.

Timbaland comes to play producing the rocky “Heartburn”. No Keys isn’t talking reflux that can be cured with medicine just the love. She talks about that love that is so intense it burns sometimes. I instantly envisioned her at a bar with a live band rockin’. It is intense and very nostalgic.

“ If I Was Your Women/Walk On By” brings Alicia Keys together with an Isaac Hayes beat and a ballad of that person who slips under your radar while you pine for that person who doesn’t want you or makes you play the runaround. Easy Mo Bee (early Executive Producer for Biggie) and Dwayne Wiggins (of Tony! Toni! Tone! fame) also co-produced the track with Keys. It is the perfect lead to…

“ You Don’t Know My Name”, the A. Keys and Kanye West produced first single off the album. If you don’t already know the song compete with an unsolicited phone call from “the waitress with the braids” is hot and will be on next years best of list. West brings has old school appreciation to the table and Keys brings the guts. Hopefully this is the first of many collaborations from these two.

“ If I Ain’t Got You” is slow and passionate. The self-produced cut is a plea to that significant other who you can’t and don’t want to let go. It’s not about the fame or the money and physics. It is about the love of that special one. Is she talking about someone in particular, I don’t know I wouldn’t want to start no rumors but if that heat was directed my way I’d always melt. This song is very stirring and very likely to have your body moving back and forth.

“ Diary” features Tony! Toni! Tone! by using “Lay You Head On My Pillow” line and taking it to another level. The thing about Keys that is crucial (pun intended) is she can scream a line or she has the tip of bass good enough to smoothly roll words off her lips. This song is so sexy cause of that skill. This is one for the seduction.

This here “Dragon Days”, this is the one for the bed! The piano is playing, the bass is heavy and guitar is just right for an intimate encounter. Keys spits out the line: “Like a desert needs water, I need you a lot”. Powerful enough for you? Kerry Brothers and A. Keys do their production things on this song.

“ Wake Up” brings the concerto to R&B. Filled with strings of the bass, viola, violins, and a cello, Keys sings about a relationship ready for a overhaul in order to survive.

“ So Simple” is one of the most lounging songs your going to hear. I see a dark club with the standard three background singers and a bass guitar player and a synthesizer. The short but sweet song is bass beautiful, produced by Vidal/Dre and A. Keys. A song about how easy it would be to fall in the arms of someone if you didn’t have to deal with them as a person.

“ When You Really Love Someone” is like “A Woman’s Worth” pt2. Piano and drum control the mood and Keys spills her soul about what a man should be doing and vice versa. Self-produced this song doesn’t have to be a relationship it can be about love in general. Keys shouts: “Take you higher when your feeling low”. The ending ohs and yeahs give it a Motown sound that is really missed in today’s Hip Hop laced R&B.

“ Feeling U, Feeling Me” allows you to start winding down as A. Keys just freestyles about raw attraction.

That leads to “Slow Down” which Keys talks about that relationship that is so hard to slow down because of the physical attraction. You are faced with messing up the fast paced/ very unpredictable nature but it could be beneficial in order to appreciate the person before the body.

“ Samsonite Man” is for that man who can’t stay put. Always living out the bag. Keys paints a picture about the traveler and his journey to happiness. Whether he is secure or insecure you’ll never know it’s that twinge he gets in his head and he could be gone. It hurts to see them leave, but you have to expect the worst before the best. You hear the percussion in the background giving the song a slight island rhythm to it.

“ Nobody Not Really” features the saxophone of Dave Watson in the intro and Keys wallows in her pity about who cares about her and her problem. There is a breakdown that reminds you of Michael Jackson’s “The Lady In My Life”. Very sweet and soft this self-produced song is strong and talks about her place in the world.

I’m impressed with this sophomore album. It is better than the first because of the experiences she shows and the chances she takes musically. Dipping into different genres for inspiration isn’t always easy but Keys makes it happen easily. It’s clear as transparent tape that Keys, god willing, will be making music till she is in her 50’s because of her spirit, soul and skills.

She is only in her early 20’s but takes unconventional routes to move your body. She shows wisdom beyond her year in her musical taste and talent, especially on the piano. Her diversity is her greatest ally doing the music and in the music business and she also keeps great company as general cohort Kerry Brothers does a great job with production, and doing instruments.

Brothers along with Vidal Davis and Andre Harris , Kanye West, Timbaland, Dwayne Wiggins all did an excellent job with production and infusing their successful formulas with her style.

This album was a treat to listen to, I didn’t have to skip anything and was moved by all whether mentally, physically or both.

As a bonus if you got the DVD, Keys and company give a great look into her rise as an artist and person. She gives you a look at her and crew as they toured and even went to South Africa. She gives you her views on her music and music as an engine of change. Keys lets you in on all she is a person. Fitting for a DVD called The Diary.

As close to classic as you can get, I’ll give it 4.5 globes. Keys is one artist for the ages. We are lucky to have someone in the game who still gets that music can and should be a powerful, meaningful instrument. Use it and use it right!

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