Alicia Keys 鈥� 鈥楪irl on Fire鈥�
Alicia Keys burst on the R&B scene with a stylish and infectious dose of passionate neo-soul with her 2001 debut 鈥淪ongs in A Minor.鈥� The singer-songwriter continued to impress and grow over her next three studio releases. The fifth album by the stunningly beautiful and multi-talented Keys is the artist鈥檚 best since 2003鈥檚 鈥淭he Diary of Alicia Keys.鈥� 鈥淕irl on Fire鈥� is Keys鈥� first album since getting married to hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz and having a child, Egypt. The album opens beautifully enough with Keys delivering 鈥淒e Novo Adagio,鈥� a flowing piano solo leading into the powerful and transforming anthem 鈥淏rand New Me.鈥� The title track features rapper Nicki Minaj, and is probably most recognized from the American Express commercial featuring the soulful tune. It鈥檚 the commercial with the dude getting dumped by his girlfriend for being too boring. After that, his life changes when he discovers that his new credit card has the power to win over new friends like Giada De Laurentiis and Keys.
鈥淪he鈥檚 just a girl, and she鈥檚 on fire,鈥� sings Keys with a spirited renewal. Keys is certainly one hot property as she ushers in her own brand of urban soul with weighty tracks like the money-can鈥檛-buy-happiness themed 鈥淣ot Even the King鈥� and the Motown-sounding, heartache number 鈥淭ears Always Win,鈥� co-written with Bruno Mars. Keys keeps the fire burning when joined by Maxwell on the slow burning 鈥淔ire We Make,鈥� featuring the smoldering guitar work of Gary Clark Jr. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a brand new kind of me,鈥� sings Keys with an album that showcases a maturing artist who continues to evolve and inspire with her own brand of soulful charm.
On another note 鈥� every so often I completely miss a new quality album when it鈥檚 released. The Lumineers released their self-titled debut back in April. I would be remiss if I didn鈥檛 thank Doug Caffoe of Ohio for recently turning me on to the album that possesses a timeless folk sound with a hint of rock sensibility, featuring the standout tracks 鈥淗o Hey鈥� and 鈥淪tubborn Love.鈥� Well done my friend.