I have seen a few topics posted about Alicia Keys on here, but not too many so I was just wondering what do most people think about her on here? Me personally, I don't like or dislike her. I'm pretty neutral when it comes to her for the most part. I do however think Alicia is talented, definitly one of the more talented artists newer artist around today but I've never really been too impressed with her voice and I think her music lacks originality. Almost every song i've heard of hers sounds like a rejected Stevie Wonder track or some old 70's song that I've heard before but most people I know act like she's the second coming so maybe I'm just missing something here???

Cinnamon234 said:

Every topic about her posted on here was probably started by me. I always wonder why Alicia isn't talked about more on here??! I'll see a Christina, Jlo, Rihanna, Britney, Usher, Justin, Beyonce and etc topic waaaayyy before I'll see an Alicia topic. She seems to barely exist to the org.

I have a question for you though. How can you think she's both talented and unoriginal?

I honestly do not think she has a good singing voice at all. I would actually rather see her as more of a Producer than a performer. She just doesn't have anything about her stage presence that would make me pay any money 2 go see her. I Love her piano skills...but IMHO she is all Talent..so Soul.

But she is better than most of these factory pop crap artists. So she isn't so dispicable.

I have issues with her voice at times as well, and I'm a huge fan. Sometimes I want to put plugs in my ears when she sings, but her voice is beautiful if she would stick to this range.

http://www.dailymotion.co...evie_music

dragondayz said:

Well just because I don't think her music is particularly original doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fact that she is a talented pianist and I do think she is a pretty decent songwriter as well. It's possible to think someone is unoriginal and talented at the same time. Take Usher for example. I think he has a pretty impressive voice and knows how to put on a good show , but I don't think he has an original bone in his body.


That clip you posted btw was one of her better performances i've seen but I don't know, I just think Alicia is so stiff. I really don't believe that she is a true soul artist. I think that's what she'd really like to be and that's what she's striving to be as an artist but it's not believable to me. It's not natural with her, it seems forced to me.
[Edited 9/4/07 19:24pm]

Cinnamon234 said:

Exactly. Soul is something u either Got or don't Got. IMHO it can't be rehearsed....it comes off unnatural when it is.

I like alicia keys. She is a viable alternative to the crap that is coming out.
I was not at all impressed with her first album but her second was very good and it will be interesting to see if she can sustain that. I think the new generation of music fans probably see alicia keys as a bigger deal because damn not many artists coming out now are doing anything competent and original. Alicia Keys sitting behind a piano and actually composing tunes is like startling to this generation and music fans my age or older are kind of like ho hum because artists like roberta flack,teena marie,and patrice rushen have done what she is doing now 20 years ago so i can see why some people may not be that impressed with alicia keys because it isn't nothing older music fans like myself haven't seen.

I think Alicia is beautiful and talented, yet she does nothing for me. There's just something about her that leaves me cold.

Poser.

She's fly!

There were more Alicia threads a few years ago, she gets treated like every new artists on here does.

Bishop31 said:

Is there an artist of this generation that you feel has soul? Fantasia maybe?

dragondayz said:

Ledisi
N'Dambi
Conya Doss
Leela James
Jill Scott
Eryka Badu
Laurn Hill
[Edited 9/4/07 21:02pm]

6sixx6 said:

Okay, I listened to the first three. I really like Ledisi's voice, but these are more "neo soul" artists, which in my opinion is another term for skilled vocalists. The only person on that list that trully has soul, to me, is Lauryn Hill. Soon as she opens her mouth I literally feel her voice. It touches me, and that's soul imo.

Alicia is someone that out of the gate i wasnt into, but with the second record i noticed her skill and im enjoying her evolution. I hear arguments that she isnt original, well, that really can be said about 95% of artists, you can pretty much trace everyone back to someone if you want to. My issue is the merger of Hip Hop and RB, thats where i tend to shy away. Im hoping Alicia isnt going to go that route, because she needs to just get her own thing going. Im sick of scanning ANY artists record and seeing featuring_____ not that Alicia is guilty of that, but you can see where she could be pushed into that trap. I personally think the lower-key she is the better off she is artistically. Vocally i like her, i need to hear "strain" in vocals because im sorry that to me is soul, im tired of fucking layered vocals in RB.

if i aint got you?

probably my fave song of the last 5 years-i love me some alicia

please alicia dont go down the self righteous jill scott/lauryn hill road

Boring, fake and did I say BORING?

I've always heard from people that she's very talented and I don't doubt it. However, she doesn't do any uptempo funk so I throw her in the same category that I throw other artists that make no uptempo funk....boring.

I agree with most of the comments on here. Alicia wants to be like the soul artists of old but it comes across unnatural. I also agree she's totally unoriginal. Every song she does sounds like a cover version even when it's not. If you know your soul music you can literally play a game of "Spot the steal" when her album's playing. Her very first hit "Falling" takes the guitar line from James Brown's It's A Man's World wholesale and just transfers it to keyboard. The whole song is built around it. The refrain "I never loved someone the way that I love you" is almost the whole title of Aretha Franklin's famous "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). Alicia just changed "a man" to "someone". She's not even subtle about her theft. She does this with every song.
[Edited 9/5/07 6:09am]

Me likes.

I also feel a little neutral. Some songs I like, some I don't. I'm not particularly excited about her but I don't dislike her either.

I like that she carries herself well, has interests other than music and is not running around like a hot mess and DUI-ing every other week.

Maybe her material is not so strong but neither is that skank who claims to be legendary who she a generic single and people act like it's the second coming.

Whether I like her music or not, of all the young stars out right now, Alicia Keys is the last one I have problem with. Maybe she'll grow into something great.
[Edited 9/5/07 7:30am]

Shes definitely overhyped, but i feel has potential; imo, her test will be her endurance; remember with some of our sixties and seventies soul legends, they had ample time to release shitty songs before coming out with their masterpieces. At least Alicia has good taste, and if she keeps going, following her muse, we could see some real cool stuff from her. Would be nice if she had some more funk =3

CoolTarik1 said:

CoolTarik1 said:

I wouldn't hold my breath for that if I were you. She's already too pleased with herself to make any great strides. I said that from day one, and five years later nothing has happened to change my mind. She is simply too ordinary as a person to do anything memorable.
[Edited 9/5/07 8:36am]

She has a nice ass

bboy87 said:

She's got NO ass. Hell, she inherited her ass from her mum just like her dancing ability.

I like Alicia. Her music isn't the best, but it's pretty good. I'd take her music anyday over the shit that comes from Britney, Ciara etc. Alicia isn't shaking her ass to get noticed, she's singing and playing.

dragondayz said:

Wow. Do you really believe that? Jill Scott doesn't have soul? Leela James doesn't have soul? I'm beginning to question what you think soul sounds like. Leela brings back that Gladys Knight vibe as does Angie Stone. Jill is all up on some of Aretha's essence. Conya is more "typical" in some ways but definitely not without soul. I understand that the backing music to a lot of these acts is kinda generic and that can pigeonhold an artist but I have to beg to differ that the women mentioned don't have soul. You may not feel them but they are soulful. I have to give it up to singers like Jaguar Wright who get less attention, too. There are lots of soulful singers. Many just have to play within the boundaries of contemporary music.
By the way, Alicia is not one of them.

BlaqueKnight said:

i liked her before she didn't start doing the whole neo soul type thing with the last single which can't think of the name of it. and she tries too hard to be down or hip. she should bit more laxed and do piano skills and sing. the hip thing isn't for her but she can sing

meh...
she's i-ight...