The Diary of Alicia Keys [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] | Alicia Keys

The Diary of Alicia Keys [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] | Alicia Keys | What!?!?

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The Diary of Alici...

	The Diary of Alicia Keys [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] Alicia Keys J-Records, 2003 average customer review:based on 271 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Alicia Keys has more than lived up to the promise of her formidable debut Songs in A Minor, pushing beyond her flirtation with old-school soul and venturing into the modern world, even hiring Timbaland to guide her through the shoals of anthemic hip-hop on the breathless and funkified "Heartburn." Sounding like a hyperthyroid cheerleader, Keys unleashes a quirky sense of humor that no one even suspected she possessed. Her effortless singing on the beat-driven "Karma" is a wonder of sonics on this uplifting piece of pop philosophy, giving countless anxious woman hope that everything will work out as it's meant to, or on "Samsonite Man," where it won't. But despite her edgy styling and jazzy vocal posturing, Keys hasn't abandoned her love for old R&B and travels back in time, giving Gladys Knight's "If I Was Your Woman" a face lift it may not have needed, then turns around and recasts the song as the winsome and dramatic "You Don't Know My Name." But at its heart, The Diary of Alicia Keys is a gross misnomer. After listening to the disc, fans will know little more about the elusive diva than they did before, her lyrical style consistently more narrative than confessional. In fact, the title track doesn't delve into the singer's inner life, but instead is about a long-distance love affair, with Keys promising the object of her affection that: "I won't tell your secrets/Your secrets are safe with me/I will keep your secrets/Just think of me as the pages in your diary."--Jaan Uhelszki

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Alicia Keys Rock

This is one of the first CDs I ever bought and it is one of the best in my collection. The songs on here are so well crafted and put together that it makes Alicia seem like she has been doing this for over 10 years. She is so different from most of the divas out there who shake their butt, like Beyonce, Ashanti and Ciara, and I have to say, she is probably the best arrival so far in this millennium. Nearly ever song on this album deserves a 5 star, and I hope she keeps coming up with good music in her years to come. The DVD is very interesting because it talks about her journey through life and how she became an artist and who helped her and influenced her along the way. It also shows her on tour and the places she went to and how that had a part in the development of this album. This album was the reason I bought Songs in A Minor, which is also another excellent piece of work, and I know she will win many Grammy Awards this year. I highly recommend this album to all Alicia fans.

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What!?!?

I am really shocked to see the negative reviews.. Im not gonna call ya'll "haters" as was predicted in your reviews, but how can u deny the greatness of this album???

Firstoff, someone said that "Dragon days" is filler, and i just gotta say NO - that is a great song!! I can't comprehend how someone could just throw that song out and classify it as bad, thats jus ridiculous... and her remake of "if i were your woman" was, i think, a great idea. Obviously there is no way to match the greatness of the original so why not put a good beat to it and make it hip-hop??? i loved it...

then there's those sayin that "when you really love someone" is the same as "fallin" but that is Also inaccurate. What they do have in common is that piano lick in it, but if you go back in history to all the songs of the past, you will find that in COUNTLESS songs!!! The two songs are entirely different if you take the time to listen...

In any case, i find it hard to see how anyone could bash this album, but thats just my opinion...

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Great Album

Alica is so talented. I love her voice. Its so powerful and soulful. The problem with other very talented artists is that they dont have very good material (ie- chritina agulara). not the case with alica. i did not like her first cd. it was a little more typical R&B. but this time around i can really see that she has grown up. This cd has so many solid songs in it that it is totally worth the price. the dvd is a little boring and not needed. its just her going to hotels and in her car and stuff. thats not why i gave it 5 stars. all 5 stars are for alica and her great music. i just hope her next cd is just as good.

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3.5 stars......Alicia's Incomplete Diary

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help that pun there, even though it was weak.

I know you are going to look at my album review and be like "he's a hater". Trust me, I love Alicia as much as the next person, but come on! We waited so long just for this?

I'm NOT saying the album is bad, it's just that her lyrical skills seemed to have faltered a bit since her classic debut album. Sometimes the lyrics are a bit juvenile, whereas other times there actually are some decent lyrics. Musically, I can see some attempt at growth, but more or less it seems as if people tried to capitalize off the first album. Case in point: Even though so many others have said it before, it's quite true...."Wake Up" and "When You Really Love Someone" sounds too much like "Fallin'" to really be interesting enough to like. I mean, I was like, no.

Nevertheless, there are some decent songs on here that actually work. "Karma" takes a while to get used to, and the video for the song doesn't help, but the lyrics are great, IMO. One of life's old adages is put to good use in a song and doesn't sound too cliche'. "You Don't Know My Name" is pretty good, with its nice old school feel and catchiness. Alicia sounds good even if this song was seriously overplayed! "If I Ain't Got You" is probably the best song on the album, and Alicia shows off those pipes that we have all come to love. It's the perfect segue into "Diary", which has the perfect piano arrangement and flows efforltessly throughout. Whoever that is singing with Alicia complements her voice toward the end. "When You Really Love Someone", "Fallin'" sample notwithstanding, actually sounds good and is kinda catchy. And both the interludes work well. "Feeling U, Feeling Me" is a nice interlude that sounds good, but "Nobody Not Really" has the perfect mix of vocals and tight lyrics. It really should have been a full song because it sounds so good. I know this might sound sad, but that song is my favorite on the album.

Now let's get to the bad....sometimes it's good to use some old-school flavor on your album (Beyonce' actually did it well on her album), but when you use it too much, it gets unlistenable. "If I Was Your Woman/Walk On By" is just downright wrong from the jump. When I initially saw that on the tracklisting, I thought Alicia was going to remake it with the soul....instead, we get a overproduced hip-hoppy song....you can't take a sould classic and make it a hip-hop joint that actually is good. Come on Alicia! "Dragon Days" is just not a song that I expected Alicia to have on here, it's definitely filler. "Samsonite Man" would have been better had a male artist played the Samsonite Man and sang a verse.

Of course, the album is not a total waste and possibly can be listened to throughout as background music while you are reading. But if you are looking for something to really listen to, this isn't quite it. You may have to skip a few songs, but it's still decent.

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