With her sophomore effort, Alicia Keys proved that the hints of brilliance on “Songs in A Minor” were no fluke. “The Diary of Alicia Keys” is her best album, with a number of great songs, topped by the soulful joy of “If I Ain’t Got You.” It’s a love song in many senses — not just love for her man, but love for musicianship. I am a fan of electronic music, but I still find it important to step back from time to time and listen to music that eschews technological assistance in favor of raw musical skill. Keys has got the goods.
This marks the only instance in my life I can think of where after hearing a new artist’s debut song just once, I immediately went out and bought their whole album. “Fallin’” immediately captivated me — I particularly love how towards the end the vocals just keep layering themselves on top of each other, and just when you think its as vocally rich as it can be, a whole additional set of harmonies kick in. American Idol hopefuls have done their best to ruin this song for everybody (I’m not sure what logical gap led so many to think the best way to stand out was to sing the same song as everyone else), but 8 years later, Alicia’s original has stood the test of time. It felt like an instant classic the moment it was released, and that seems to be proving true. What a fine way for one of the decade’s most talented musicians to enter the world stage.