Album Review: Alicia Keys, Keys
Alicia Keys
Keys (released December 10, 2021)
Sometimes I think we’re too hard on Alicia Keys.
It’s easy to forget in the “what have you done for me lately” modern music world but for a full decade, Alicia was THE it-girl for R&B. In fact, the last R&B album I gave a five-star review had her name attached.
But, as we all know, the past 10 years haven’t been as kind to her legacy. Whether it’s Twitter slander over family issues (that are none of our business, quite frankly) or a string of mediocre LPs that pale in comparison to her earlier hits, it’s been hard out here for Alicia fans. The talent is undoubtedly still there – deep down we’re still rooting for the piano girl that stole our hearts way back in 2001 – but she’s been unable to recapture that original magic.
So, what better way to garner some much-needed buzz than by getting experimental!
Keys, Alicia’s eighth studio LP, is essential a double album – an “originals” side with new tracks, and an “unlocked” side that reimagines most of the songs from the originals side, with a few additions thrown in.
But what this really comes down to is YET ANOTHER 90-minute streaming-era behemoth of an album that falls apart under its own weight.
The “originals” side (i.e., Disc 1, for old heads like me) kicks off with “Plentiful,” and it feels like the Alicia of old. A surprising sample of Beanie Sigel’s “The Truth,” a gritty verse from Pusha T – the streetwise pianist seemed to be back in top form. “Billions” is a strong midtempo cut that wouldn’t feel out of place on Alicia’s earlier LPs while she coos like Sade over “Best of Me,” which unsurprisingly, samples “Cherish the Day.” They’re all glimpses of the good ol’ days.
As Disc 1 drags on – emphasis on drag – that’s when the problems arise. Alicia spends the first half of the set showcasing all the tools in her sonic toolbox. “Dead End Road” is drenched with gospel influences; “Is It Insane” is the smoky, jazzy record straight from Dinah Washington’s playbook; “Skydive” is a serviceable but uneventful inspirational cut – all decent songs on their own but lack cohesion and seem a bit random.
But then we hit the second half of the disc and, playa, welcome to Snoozetown.
“Only You,” “Old Memories” “Paper Flowers” – it’s a nearly 20-minute stretch of dreary piano ballads. And listen, I’m always down for a good ballad, but these just drone on and on AND ON. A couple stand out: “Daffodils” is a bit more tolerable due to some solid metaphoric writing and there’s something charming about “Like Water” (even though it sounds a little too middle-school talent show-ish for me) but the album’s momentum grinds to an absolute halt.
Want to know why I scream about the importance of album sequencing? This is exhibit A.
After nearly an hour into the project, we finally arrive at Disc 2, which looks to liven up the album’s narcoleptic tracks with more hip-hop influenced production from Mike Will Made It. It’s clear Alicia knew that the project needed some life and dragged Mike Will on board, but why load up your album with snoozers in the first place? It’s like drinking a bunch of Nyquil during a road trip and then constantly slapping yourself to stay awake. Why even do that?
The “unlocked” disc tries to do a yeoman’s job of bringing life back to the project, but the results are very mixed. The new versions of “Only You,” “Old Memories” and “Billions” don’t do much to restore good faith and remind me of those random dance remixes Deborah Cox would have at the end of her albums. “Billions” is especially awkward, sounding like one of those bad YouTube mashups with sped-up vocals. “Dead End Road” gets reduced to the usual lo-fi track that everyone does today and the new “Daffodils” is stripped of its intimacy and doesn’t work nearly as well.
However, there are still some wins. “Skydive” gets a 90s-inspired upgrade that’s much more interesting. Plus, they added a sax and you know my rule – anything with a sax is a win. “Best of Me” gets an added interpolation of “Stranger Games and Things” that’s not really needed but doesn’t hurt the song either. Both versions are still solid. “Love When You Call My Name” gets upgraded from so-so piano ballad and injected with much more personality.
The biggest win of “unlocked” is a totally original cut – “Come for Me,” which features Khalid and Lucky Daye, proving three is not a crowd. Lucky never disappoints and while I’m not a big fan of Khalid’s pop hits, R&B Khalid is very underrated. All three put in a great showing here. It’s a much better outing than the duet “LALA” with … Swae Lee of all people. If this was a real duet (with actual singing and everything!) instead of the played-out auto-croon nonsense, it could have been a winner.
After spending the first few lines of this review attempting to defend her legacy, I know it seems I too went hard on Alicia. And that’s because there is so much potential here for an incredible album. That’s what makes Keys such a frustrating listen.
It feels like Alicia recorded a whole album, realized it would cause mass comas across the world and instead of going back to the drawing board, she just remixed most of it, threw the whole thing on streaming and told listeners, “hey, you figure it out.”
That’s not how the album process is supposed to work.
Grab the first six or so tracks from Side A, “Come for Me” and a couple remixes from Side B and you’d have a strong, 30 minute LP that’s by far her best work since her 2000s heyday. But this ain’t the Build-An-Album Workshop. I have to judge this as one, complete body of work – one that runs almost as long as the Venom: Let There Be Carnage movie.
There’s a really good album drowning in all this excess. I’m just not sure most listeners will stick around to find it.
Best tracks: “Come for Me,” “Billions (original),” “Best of Me (original and unlocked),” “Skydive (unlocked)”
2.5 stars out of 5
I think what gets Alicia Keys music lost in the present is that she’s too classy and classic. Her piano playing and singing abilities are drowned out by peoples obsession with seeing ass cheeks and twerking. Pop culture is on a new level that is beneath the classical sound of Alicia Keys. Unfortunately people don’t want to hear about romance an love, now it’s all about sex and money. Her performances don’t involve sequined costumes and 30 inch lace front wigs. Mrs. Keys is drowned out by the new generation who thrives off of sexuality and made up fantasies.
I completely disagree with you here. Even at the height of her career (circa 2001-2007) she was never overtly sexual or controversial. She has always been a “classic artist”. And while I understand that those type of songs aren’t exactly whats ruling the charts right now (adele and bruno mars might be the only exceptions here), That isn’t the reason she’s not as celebrated as she used to be
For me i think her songs haven’t just been sticking for a while now. Take this album for example, after I listened to it in its entirety for the first time the only songs I could remember afterwards were “best of me” and “come for me”. Like the songs aren’t necessarily Bad but they aren’t memorable either. I think that’s where the issue lies and not her refusal to jump on booty shaking trends in today’s music
Exactly. It’s not about her presentation – that hasn’t changed. It’s just that the songs aren’t very good. We know she can do better.
I don’t look at this as a disagreement or a diss to Alicia. I just think the times have changed and what she represents isn’t what gets the average listener going. Me personally I love Alicia but a lot of this younger generation isn’t interested that’s all. It’s not about her at all, it’s about the average listener. I’m the same age as Alicia so I get it but a lot of 20 year olds just aren’t that interested. And that’s okay. I still listen to Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott. A lot of the younger people I work with aren’t that interested in those artists. That’s all I’m saying.
I’m 22 years old and majority of the music I listen to currently are stuff that came out wayyyy before I was born(I probably know every hit song released in the 80s LOL).. I get that most of my generation is obsessed with Tik tok and boring trap music and summer Walker “VIBES” and that they may not appreciate Alicia’s style
But believe me when I tell you its definitely about her, I know a lot of older people in their 40s or so who share my exact opinions about her music not sticking . I’m not saying she should go back to making songs that sound like “fallin'” or “Diary” (though i would LOVE that lol).. I just feel she can do better than this. Anyways at the end of the day this is just my opinion, music is highly subjective so what sounds mediocre to me might sound great for someone else. The most important thing is that you’re genuinely enjoying what you’re listening to
Listening to “Keys” I did not find one track that stuck in my mind afterwards. Is that a bad thing? Or just the type of music she does? Sorry not everything is a chart topper and Keys music is probably more for the long term listener then getting a hit off a single of an artist and then moving on. For many casual Keys fans or casual music fans in general. I don’t see this album being played over and over or even getting through the entire album. I would include myself in that group of casual Keys listeners.
Artists underestimate the magic of working with that one producer that understands you musically. Alicia Keys was at her peak working with Krucial and has not found that chemistry working with anyone else since. It has nothing to do with the current state of music because Alicia Keys has been on a decline prior to trap/ trap soul becoming mainstream. Also people who grew up listening to AK are no longer excited about her work. The bar was set so high earlier on in her career that she can’t make mediocre music and sell records. Her brand is why people hold out hope that she will make another classic but all of her post-Krucial albums (“Girl on Fire” and onward) have missed the mark. She is a prisoner of her own success. It’s sad given how talented and loved she is.