http://www.theroot.com/id/44811
She'll Take That
By Tracie M. Fellers | TheRoot.com
Is Alicia Keys a shameless Prince mimic, or a smooth criminal?
Feb. 14, 2008--At Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremony, Alicia Keys graciously
thanked Prince for handing her the prize for best female R&B vocal
performance for her smash "No One." But she has so much more to thank him
for.
T.S. Eliot once wrote that, "bad poets imitate; good poets steal." And Keys'
latest effort "As I Am" leaves no doubt that she's doing one or the
other--especially on the CD's second hit, "Like You'll Never See Me Again."
It doesn't take a classically trained musician like Keys to hear that she's
channeling Prince - from the keyboards, guitar licks and swell of strings,
to the breathy pitch of the vocals. You can even imagine his Royal Badness
himself crooning, or working up to a scream, on the line " . . . kiss me
like you'll never see me again." But is Keys, 26 (or 28, depending on the
source), a shameless mimic or a smooth criminal?
After all, the hypnotic synthesizer intro/refrain (played on a Moog, no
less) is nothing if not pure Prince, in a "Purple Rain" vein with a dash of
"Diamonds and Pearls." (In all fairness to Keys, an Entertainment Weekly
cover story last fall did mention "Purple Rain" as one of her inspirations.)
And Keys does work her take on a Princely theme well. "Like You'll Never See
Me Again" is a little bit '80s, a little bit '90s, and all pop confection.
Ear candy that leaves you wanting, maybe even craving, to listen again.
Yet the tune's plea that "every time you hold me/hold me like this is the
last time . . . promise that you'll love me/love me like you'll never see me
again" helps elevate it to art. It's pop art, but art nonetheless, that
really speaks to the uncertainty of our times, and the fragility of our
relationships in this era of war and fear. That ability to tap into the
psyche of the moment, both musically and lyrically, is what's made Keys,
who's dazzled us since her 2001 debut, a megastar.
More importantly, it's that quality, along with her tremendous talent and
distinctive musical voice - a fusion of classical, R&B, pop and hip-hop, to
name a few of the genres Keys brings together - that makes her a true
artist. She shares that status with fellow prodigy Prince, whose presence
and music captured the pulse of a generation that came of age with the rise
of the Religious Right and a "greed is good" mentality.
"Like You'll Never See Me Again" isn't Keys' most original or innovative
work (for that, look back to her first CD, "Songs in A Minor," or 2005's
live "Alicia Keys Unplugged"). But the earnestness, urgency and passion of
her delivery paired with echoes of Prince, a kindred if edgier spirit, dare
you to resist being drawn under her spell.
Clearly, "As I Am" is Keys' most commercial CD yet, in more ways than one.
With it, she's gone from famous to ubiquitous. She's glamorous and she's
everywhere, from her MySpace page to the TV in your living room, rocking the
Glendale, Ariz., stadium crowd during the Super Bowl pre-game show Sunday.
(And is there anyone who hasn't heard "No One" on the "27 Dresses" trailer
or "Like You'll Never See Me Again" on ABC's promo for the return of "All My
Children's" Angie and Jesse?)
The sound that drives the CD, laden with synthesizers, programmed drums and
programmed strings, serves those songs reasonably well - the disc's two hits
so far. Though after hearing "No One" multiple times, I now understand why a
co-worker of mine wants to pull her hair out every time she hears that
ersatz organ pumping away underneath the melody. Once your ears pick it up,
you realize it's a lot like hearing a tuba in a funk band. Not something you
want, let alone need. Especially when you've got a voice as sure and soulful
as Keys' to carry everything that's good about "No One's" groove.
That's a minor flaw in a song that largely satisfies, which can't be said of
a few other tracks on the CD. "Go Ahead," with a forgettable melody and
droning chorus, is the weakest link for me. Inexplicably, that tedious
chorus is reprised in the very next track, "Superwoman," which should have
soared on the strength of Keys' lyrics but barely manages to get off the
ground.
Get past those less-than-stellar cuts, however, and you'll hear the gifted
singer/songwriter in Keys take charge on the most memorable material "As I
Am" has to offer. When she takes on a weary, wary, yet ultimately hopeful
tone in "The Thing About Love," Keys is as convincing about love's costs and
rewards as she ever was in "Fallin'" or "If I Ain't Got You," among the best
songs of her young career.
What finally wins me over, though, is the CD's next-to-last track. When Keys
sings "Tell Me Something," with all the urgency of "Like You'll Never See Me
Again," plus the maturity and poignancy of "The Thing About Love," I'm sold.
Her cry, part outpouring, part proclamation, brings "As I Am" full circle:
"Don't wanna wait to bring you flowers/waste another hour/let alone another
day/I'm gonna tell you something . . . won't wait till it's too late." And
I'm listening to every word she has to say.
Tracie Fellers is a freelance writer and editor. She teaches writing and
literature at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.
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