Most of it is C minus, not A Minor! (Songs In A Minor - Alicia Keys)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Songs In A Minor - Alicia Keys
Date:	21/10/08 (241 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 4 good songs.

Disadvantages: Everything else.

Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor

This was Alicia Keys' debut album, 2001 and most of the songs are written and arranged by her. According Wikipedia (does anyone really believe them) it has sold 11 million copies.

I do not own, or listen to a lot of contemporary R&B, but, like most people I heard 'Fallin' and that led to buying the album.......did I like it so much I converted to being an R&B fan?

~~~The Tracks~~~

1. Piano & I
Just her and a piano (oh alright a few electronic sounds at the beginning and a backing vocal, oh yea, and drums....so not just her and her piano!). She plays the piano very well if it is her playing, her voice goes from spoken to husky speak/sing, pleasant enough but not a 'blow me away' opener. 4/10.

2. Girlfriend
Formula R&B, references to other artistes, bit of backing rap, pleasant melody, boring, boring, boring. 2/10.

3. How Come You Don't Call Me
This is a Prince song. Starts well with a gospel/diva vocal, she has got a voice, I'll give her that. Then we get a great drum beat, piano and guitar, nice, very bluesy is the direction taken next. She really does have a good voice. She just seems to switch from genre to genre within a few bars, we get a Motown feel too. Sounds like it should be disjointed and busy, but it is actually very soulful and 'clean'. Love this 8/10.

4. Fallin
Did well in the charts over here and in the USA. Great, almost classic R&B ecstasy and pain song. Brilliant drum beat, bass line and really different use of her voice than the last song. Very sultry, very refined, very, very good. 9/10.

5. Troubles
Starts a bit too 'typically' for me, bit of talking, backing vocals, drum n bass comes in, then she starts the verse. She seems to be trying to hard in this song to be great, and actually it is only just good. 5/10.

6. Rock wit U
Funky start a la 'Shaft', instrumental is actually very nice, funk guitar, drums, bass, no Alicia vocal until about 1 minute 49 seconds. This has such a 70's feel, I really like it, in truth, the music more than her vocal. 8/10.

7. A Woman's Worth
Love the strings start to this and the first few bars of bass guitar, it is one of the best opening few bars of any R&B song I have heard. I also really like the vocal (though the lyrics are naff). She has such a sensual voice in this, very, very sultry. The beat is hypnotic and really does grab the listener. Builds really well and then 'settles'. Love it when on the end of certain bars a real funk lead guitar strums, fab. 8/10.

8. Jane Doe
Ironically (again according to Wikipedia), this is the only song that actually is in A Minor, it is not good. Just bubble gum pop/R&B, hate it. 0/10.

9. Goodbye
Lovely piano.........and..........lovely piano. Awful lyrics, boring song, vocals very mediocre. Sounds like a song at the tail end of a musical like 'Oliver'. 0/10.

10. The Life
Bit of a Latin start, then another homage to funk. What is happening here?, lots of decent songs then a couple (well, 3) real howlers, awful, truly rubbish. The lyrics could have come out of a Christmas cracker. 0/10.

11. Mr. Man
This is a duet with Jimmy Cozier (who?). Like the use of violins at the beginning, then when he sings, it is like Kitsch, only it is supposed to be serious "I wanna know if you feel the way I do...I do", please, it is almost hysterically bad. Then we get her vocal which is okay, but really does not work with this song....if I could give this a minus...actually, I will. -1/10.

12. Never Felt This Way
I'm getting fed up now......now I know why I haven't listened to this album for about 6 years...marginally better than the last track, vocals okay, piano good, song goes nowhere. 1/10.

13. Butterflyz
More piano start, which again is very nice, then a smooth, soft vocal, almost too quiet from Ms Keys. This song does build well until at the end we get a full voice from her, but it is just more 'formula' for me. Not a good track, just okay. 2/10.

14. Why Do I Feel So Sad
This songs just kinda melds into the last one, I feel so sad love, because I am listening to this. 2/10.

15. Caged Bird
After track 7 this album is just getting more and more tedious. Slow, laborious, boring. Vocal gets good in places, that is about it. 1/10.

16. Lovin U
Hidden track? It aint, why do they do that? We get a bit of her chatting with the band, boring. The song itself is strong, very Motown/Gospel. Great Aretha type use of voice. The end of the song shows her really letting her voice go, diva like, cracking. Full of passion, soul and grit. Why oh why are there not more songs like this? 8/10.

~~~Final Thoughts~~~
3, 4, 6, 7 are well worth having, the rest are such a horrendous contrast to these songs it spoils the album. Mind you, for a penny on Amazon it might be worth it. Seriously, there are some good songs here, but most of it, well, minor league!

And no, I haven't converted to R&B.

Summary: Alicia's Debut