Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys has more than lived up to the promise of her formidable debut Songs in A Minor, pushing beyond her flirtation with old-school soul and venturing into the modern world, even hiring Timbaland to guide her through the shoals of anthemic hip-hop on the breathless and funkified "Heartburn." Sounding like a hyperthyroid cheerleader, Keys unleashes a quirky sense of humor that no one even suspected she possessed. Her effortless singing on the beat-driven "Karma" is a wonder of sonics on this uplifting piece of pop philosophy, giving countless anxious woman hope that everything will work out as it's meant to, or on "Samsonite Man," where it won't. But despite her edgy styling and jazzy vocal posturing, Keys hasn't abandoned her love for old R&B and travels back in time, giving Gladys Knight's "If I Was Your Woman" a face lift it may not have needed, then turns around and recasts the song as the winsome and dramatic "You Don't Know My Name." But at its heart, The Diary of Alicia Keys is a gross misnomer. After listening to the disc, fans will know little more about the elusive diva than they did before, her lyrical style consistently more narrative than confessional. In fact, the title track doesn't delve into the singer's inner life, but instead is about a long-distance love affair, with Keys promising the object of her affection that: "I won't tell your secrets/Your secrets are safe with me/I will keep your secrets/Just think of me as the pages in your diary."--Jaan Uhelszki Amazon.com

 Smooth R & B...
Being a fan of Alicia's,"As I Am" was actually the first album I bought from her. Sorry I never purchased this one ,the time it came out,but finally did.Wow,"A Classic" indeed. Just great from beg. to end.I rarely give an album 5 stars but had to for this one. Knew the songs,but just one of those things.Now that I do have it,it will always be one of my all-time faves.Karma,You Don't Know My Name,If I Ain't Got You,Diary and Dragon Days highlight this superb effort.If you are one like me,who never purchased an album of hers,but a fan,this would be "The One" to buy first."Songs In A Minor " will soon follow. You will be truly amazed!!!! February 24, 2008

 The Soul Princess
If you don't know Alicia Keys' music you probably don't know much about soul music. Alicia Keys's second album "The Diary of Alicia Keys" is a great piece of work. Her voice is amazing in every song! The songs are very relaxing, so it was quite hard for me to like this album at first. I just bought it because I had heard live versions of the songs "Karma", "Heartburn", and "Wake Up". Those songs are brilliant also in this album although "Karma" is a little bit slower than the live version. There's also other great songs, like "If I Ain't Got You", "You Don't Know My Name", and "When You Really Love Someone". In other words the only song I don't like is "Slow Down". Still, Alicia Keys is The Soul Princess!
Stars: Heartburn, If I Ain't Got You, Karma February 6, 2008

 Her Diary = A Fine Chameleon.
"The Diary Of Alicia Keys'" puts Beyonce, Shakira, Underwood, & all of todays female artists from every genre of music in the bargain bin. The album starts with the classical song "Harlem's Nocturne." Her Piano playing is superb, then a choir joins in aided by a fine beat. "Karma," is adriven song that uses Alicia's vocals at their best. "Heartburn," has a good drum beat as her raw vocals compare her lust for a man with the title. "If I Was your Woman/Walk On," is a jazzy version of Isaac Hayes-"Walk On by."

"You Don't Know My Name," is a 1970's finesse ballad. It is a refreshing female version of male angst, the spoken interlude in the middle fits perfectly. "If I Ain't Got You," sounds like a mix of gospel & Aretha Franklin. This may have Alicia's best vocals on this album? The brass behind Alicia's Piano added elegance. "Diary," is a fine gentle song. It sounds like it came off of her debut album. This one was my favorite of her Sophmore album.

"When You Really Love Someone," seems like a cross between "A Woman's Worth & Fallin?" I would call it the former part two. "Wake Up & So Simple" are too familiar & the latter has some annoying sounds. "Slow Down," is reminiscent of Janet Jackson's "Lets Wait Awhile." "Nobody Not Really," is lighter & has a less cloudy or dark feel as if the day was just starting. She wonders who will be interested in this her diary? Obviously, several million to date & with good reason. This is a fine album. January 13, 2008

 Musiz Freak III
This is the one that started it all and i ourchased an awsome copy from here for the wifey collection Top Notch!!!!!!!!! December 14, 2007

 One Of the Real Classics : Put It On, Let it Do Its Thing
First of all, this album contains "You Don't Know my Name", "If I was Your Woman", "Karma", and "If I Ain't Got You". I can't think of anything except Janet's 1993 album that has so many classic tracks one after the other. One of my favorites remains the album opener (I love how Alicia always has a quiet piano intro that breaks into a big song).

However, moving past the obviously amazing singles, there is much here to drool over. 'Samsonite Man' in particular - there is something very unique about that track. When most people think of this CD, they almost always remember "If I was Your Woman" first, but I would say that I personally think of "Dragon Days" first - its a slow burner, but when it hooks you in, it really never lets go.

Alicia Keys made a better album on "Unplugged" (she has never sounded better before or after that album), but as a studio album, this will always be my favorite Keys album. There is something special about it, you can just put it on ANY time of day, let it play and do its' thing, and it will never disappoint you. Her debut album is certainly not 'timeless', but this one definitely is.

If you are at all into collecting classic R&B records, then this has to be in your collection already. If you're new to the scene, there are very few albums on Amazon with so much repeat value. Get this today! November 16, 2007

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