Star Tribune Alicia Keys Concert Review (Prince Mention)
Jon Bream
Star Tribune - Published Aug 24, 2002
http://www.startribune.co...86238.html

It is challenging for a newcomer -- even one as supertalented as Alicia Keys, who snared a stunning five Grammys this year for her 7-million-selling debut disc "Songs in A Minor" -- to stretch a 63-minute album into a 115-minute concert.

Keys' overextended show at the State Fair on Friday was terrific and tedious, fun and frustrating, masterful at times and misguided overall. What was she thinking? The crowd of 9,379 probably would have been fine with 75 to 90 minutes of focused entertainment.

What was up with the 15-minute midshow amateur talent contest between two of her friends: hype-man Freak Nasty vs. the Anointed, a human beat-box? In the first hour, Keys played four numbers. In the next eight minutes, she crammed three songs into a single medley.

At 21, this classically trained New Yorker clearly has major potential. On Friday, there were flashes and flourishes of brilliance, especially her piano playing and singing. Her solo piano version of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" was breathtaking, a marvelous mix of pain and pleasure performed with undeniable passion. She sparkled as well on the aforementioned medley of emotional piano pop. "My Man" was an irresistible slinky funk dance workout with a short but splendid jazzy piano break (with her standing, with one knee leaning on the piano bench).

But what was up with her version of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore"? Last September at the Historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, her rendition of this song bested Prince's in his own hometown. On Friday, she dragged it out to 14 minutes with all kinds of dramatics that took the drama out of the content. Then to top it off, she talked about the song afterward for another three minutes. The performance seemed more like a congressional filibuster than a musical arrangement; her between-song confessions started to sound more like an episode of Oprah Winfrey than a singer giving insights into her personality and art.

And Keys' treatment of the Doors' "Light My Fire" made about as much sense as the amateur talent contest.

Opening the concert was Mint Condition, the hitmaking Twin Cities R&B ensemble that smartly showcased its considerable instrumental and vocal talents (lead singer Stokley Williams has an alluring elastic voice and a fine jazz scatting ability) in a tightly focused 40 minutes.