DirtyChris said:

Spinlight said:

I did not like her third album either and I admit I had high expectations. As I Am just really hit a nerve for me and I felt that it sounded like something that immediately made you feel good or matched whatever color you felt at the moment. I felt that the third one just seemed almost like she had lost her way. The songwriting just isn't there.

I think she is tremendously talented and I would like her to get back to soul music because that is where her voice belongs and that is where it needs to be! I don't mean retread As I Am (and the finer points of Diary), but you gotta bring better stuff to the table than an album with NOTHING but filler on it.

I thought As I Am was the third studio album from her

Oh, woops. Meant Freedom. I totally forgot about the first album!

Spinlight said:

DirtyChris said:

I thought As I Am was the third studio album from her

Oh, woops. Meant Freedom. I totally forgot about the first album!

You hit it right in the ball park, Element was a lot of filler and it was very poppy. No offense to pop or anything but i like Alicia in her R&B realm, and i felt she was trying purposely to get hit singles on this one that where just catchy and nothing else.

Gunsnhalen said:

Spinlight said:

Oh, woops. Meant Freedom. I totally forgot about the first album!

You hit it right in the ball park, Element was a lot of filler and it was very poppy. No offense to pop or anything but i like Alicia in her R&B realm, and i felt she was trying purposely to get hit singles on this one that where just catchy and nothing else.

yes.. I definitely agree about the pop factor

I was never friends with "Put It In A Love Song"... EVER

DirtyChris said:

Gunsnhalen said:

You hit it right in the ball park, Element was a lot of filler and it was very poppy. No offense to pop or anything but i like Alicia in her R&B realm, and i felt she was trying purposely to get hit singles on this one that where just catchy and nothing else.

yes.. I definitely agree about the pop factor

I was never friends with "Put It In A Love Song"... EVER

Alicia and pop don't mix lol

I'm glad we actually have an Alicia board going with different opinions but so far no OMG SHE SUCK'S I HOPE SHE DIES type shit.

So far this board is a success ha

gdiminished said:

I think A. Keys and John Legend both suffer from the "Play It Safe" syndrome. Her skills (from a musicianship standpoint) aren't the problem, it is her content, which is dry and pretty redundant.

As it relates to the Diary album, not bad, but pretty bland. The reason that the album was tolerable was because Toni Tone Tone practically wrote the "Diary" single. Out of all her albums, I do enjoy Songs in A Minor even though many of those singles are in E Minor and C# Minor

Artist of the decade, "meh". The last decade has been extremely weak in terms of R+B talent. Keys wouldn't survive the 90s if she tried to release what she peddles now.

But when I hear others on here say, "She can't play piano", that is just utterly ridiculous.

[Edited 2/25/11 11:36am]

[Edited 2/25/11 11:51am]

I never cared much for Keys but heard Diary on some radio station one night and was really digging it. I couldn't figure out what was working so well for me but when I looked it up and saw Dwayne Wiggins behind the song, all was right in my world again. Particularly that ending "everybody say oh...." Yeah.

[Edited 2/27/11 13:27pm]

I can't speak for anyone else but myself, so....here goes.

This album gets heavy rotation on my computer late at night, on rides to school, and on car trips period. It's my FAVORITE album of hers. To me, it's a transitional CD. It's where I feel like she began to introduce a grown-up, experienced sound. There was nothing "minor" about it. She's hella talented and I for one am a bit shocked at hate for her period. But to each his/her own. All I can say is that when I sat down to listen to "Lesson Learned", that song touched me so personally that I cried. It helped me get through a VERY bitter time in my life. "Diary" is a part of my chill time music. I usually play it when I'm twisting my hair or just trying to get a little rest or some work done.

There are a lot of good songs on here. Some have helped me get through things, and others are just sweet to my ears.

119 said:

I never cared much for Keys but heard Diary on some radio station one night and was really digging it. I couldn't figure out what was working so well for me but when I looked it up and saw Dwayne Wiggins behind the song, all was right in my world again. Particularly that ending "everybody say oh...." Yeah.

[Edited 2/27/11 13:27pm]

Yup, it ends on a happy floating Ab Major 7th....

Like you, when I first heard that song, it was a completely different vibe, but a very familiar one. That groove is very NJS sounding, hence the love

Alicia isn't bad, she's got the chops, but we know she can do better.