ONE-DAY SALES: DEAR DIARY

Alicia Keys’ Sophomore Release Moves Many; Album Will Easily Top Chart

December 3, 2003


Remember Alicia Keys?
Of course you do. Clive Davis’ young neo-soul/R&B diva turned heads and stacked Grammys with her J Records debut, Songs in A Minor, two years ago. Now she’s back, and her music’s once again turning up the heat.

Indeed, according to early reports from national accounts, Keys’ sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, is on track to sell 550k in its first week, and could go as high as 600k. That means two things: One, her second album’s an instant smash, and two, her second album will debut at #1 on next week’s chart.

Sales of Diary are being aided by Keys’ intensive slate of television appearances. She did Good Morning America twice last week and a third time on Tuesday (when the record came out); she appeared on Oprah on Monday; and she’ll do two nights on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this Thursday and Friday.

Will all the TV exposure drive Keys’ first-week number even higher? We’ll have to wait and see.

Next week, be on the look out for albums from Hoobastank (Island/IDJ), the Offspring (Columbia), American Idol Ruben Studdard (J), Musiq (Def Jam/IDJ) and Avant (Geffen).

I just hope her album's good this time.

violator said:

Not as good as the first.

stymie said:

I thought u hated her debut!

so her company shipped 500,000 copies of her album to stores... how many are still on the shelf?

am i the only person on earth who thinks she is terribly overrated?

Harlepolis said:

I did. A Woman's Worth was the only track I dug on the first album and it kicks the shit out of the only track I dig on the second album: You Don't Know My Name.

chemmie said:

Mmmmnaaah

AaronUniversal said:

No, that's an actual sales report from hitsdailydouble.com...it means she'll scan about 500,000 - 600,000 this week. So actually, she's probably shipped platinum already.

stymie said:

For me,,the worthy moment in that damn debut is Isaac Hayes' contribution in "Rock Wit U" boy, its always nice to hear one of Isaac's shaft-ish compositions and his strings flow nicely too!

chemmie said:

You are even wrong in the other artists forum Chemmie! Just kidding.

Seriously, I thought so with the first album (I just never really got into the singles that much) but I'm really liking her new single. She must not be that overated if her album is going to sell that many copies. Ecspeically considering the first single isn't a smash by any means and that she is releasing this record at a very competive time when a lot of others aren't doing so hot on the charts.
[This message was edited Thu Dec 4 10:58:29 PST 2003 by VinnyM27]

chemmie said:

Say what you will about Ms. Keys newest CD, but to say she's "overrated" is somewhat unfair, isn't it?? I mean, in these times of "plastic" music, it's nice to see an actual musician make noise in the industry. I don't ever see Brittany Spears play the shit out of a piano like Alicia Keys does...

ThirdStrike said:

hehe. that is what i think is overrated about her. everyone always talking about how much talent she has and stuff like that. i just don't see it. same thing with The White Stripes. i just don't see what is so great about them.

ThirdStrike said:

i think that's the problem i have with Alicia Keyes, actually. everyone's so excited to get something other than the Britney/Christina/Jessica Simpson/Dream/etc. thing that they go overboard hyping up someone who HAS talent, but she just isn't there yet. She has a couple number that approach outstanding, but it's too soon to tell if it's people just going hysterical over someone with SOME talent or if she actually has a LOT of talent.

i love alicia keys. she's hot. her music is alright too.

thank god she dropped that "a. keys" act. that was dumb.

one question though: DID SHE CRY ON OPRAH LIKE ALL THE OTHERS!

if so, then there goes another star down my drain..

chemmie said:

You take that back about the White Stripes right now! The greatest rock duo ever (this year...I guess).

chemmie said:

See that's the thing. I don't think she's really overrated. I think her music is terribly predictable, at least on the first album it was. I think she's extremely talented. But I just don't feel she got a chance to really show that on her debut. Hell, she's on J Records. It's not like they're pacifying the musician in her.

I see her much like Stevie Wonder who was pretty much under Motown's thumb peddling music that was well beneath his capabilities (no disrespect to 'Fingertips'). But as soon as he got out of that undesirable situation he was able to be the tremendous artist we know him to be. And he ultimately released some of the most beautiful music of the 70's.

She drives me insane. Can't stand the bitch.

TRON said:

Now you're talking TRON

garnis said:

Oh, I'm capable of hate. But just of the right people.

I bought it the first day it hit the shelves at bestbuy for 9.99. Good Price! And it comes with some footage from a concert, but I haven't seen it yet...

BTW, 'If I was your woman'...

!!!
[This message was edited Thu Dec 4 18:24:39 PST 2003 by Starmist7]

the whole fucking Diary Of Alicia Keys album is KILLER!

If I Ain't Got U ...hits me.

i love the whole thing.

shits on her debut.

AaronUniversal said:

...i would like for just one time for her to do an album without samplin' from someones "major hit" songs to promote her album, and see just how far she can go...on CREATIVITY!!! great piano player, songwritter, BUT she addicted to samplin'...kinda sucks!