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Rating:
Black velvet
It's hard to stay indifferent in the face of the beauty that shines through Alicia Keys' crystalline voice and panther-like eyes. What a stunning creature! After her deservedly award-winning (two Billboard Awards, three Soul Train Awards, two World Music Awards, an Echo Award, five Grammy Awards, and ten million copies sold worldwide) debut album in 2001, SONGS IN A MINOR, the prodigious singer, composer, and pianist hits the mark again with this new THE DIARY OF… (Bmg), especially for those who know how to appreciate its serenity and velvety strength.
THE DIARY OF… might not be the commercial hit that her previous album was, but it is undoubtedly the absolute confirmation of an immeasurable creative caliber in today's African-American music scene. Alicia is a creature of many facets: a singer from a young age, a model student, and an athletic gymnast, the 24-year-old Italian-African has grown like an exotic flower in a rough neighborhood of Harlem. Origins aren't forgotten, and Alicia demonstrates this masterfully: familiar soul-black sounds with modern rhythms—electronic and hip-hop—mixed with reminiscences close to Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Isaac Hayes, and Prince. In this album, we find the synthesis of the last three decades of the black experience, also thanks to the artist's skill on the piano, a powerful common denominator that allows her to range from blues to jazz, from funky to pop.
No special effects, few illustrious guests, no intrusive marketing strategy: Alicia prefers to express her passion for music simply like this, offering her radiant, vibrant voice with sobriety.
Among the fifteen tracks on the list, I mention the evocative Harlem's Nocturne, piano versus hip-hop, the superb If I Was Your Woman/Walk On By, a song in full Motown style, and You Don't Know My Name, the stylish and seductive first single from the album. The magic continues with the romantic If I Ain't Got You and the attractive, intimate, and tormented Diary. Standouts include Dragon Days (listen to the pronounced wah-wah guitar!), the sunny Wake Up, the deep groove of So Simple, and the psychedelic Feeling U, Feeling Me, pushing me to love this artist even more, consistent with her roots and personality, reserved but terribly generous, thoughtful but also sunny, and above all serenely aware.
An important point in Alicia's favor is an understated sensuality expressed musically with discretion and in terms of image with a soft and elegant magnetism, never overbearing or ostentatious, and always tastefully dressed… Nothing more intriguing.
Magnificent.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Harlem's Nocturne (01:43)
Drop it
Yeah, yeah
Come in for a minute
Welcome back
It's just me and you in this room right now
There's so many things that are on my mind
Uh, yeah, uh
Sometimes that's hard to say
That's why I take all I've got
That's why I take all I have
And I put it into this
Put it right here in my diary
Can you feel it?
Uh, uh, uh
Take this journey with me
02 Karma (04:16)
Oh Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh
Oh Oh
Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Oh
Oh Oh Oh
Werent't you the one who said that you don't want me anymore
And how you need your space and give the keys back to your door
And how I cry and try and try to make you stay with me
But still you said the love was gone and that I had to leave
Now you
Talking about a family
Now you
Saying I complete your dream
Now you
Saying I'm your everything
Your confusing me, what your saying to me
Don't play with me, don't play with me cause
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
I remember when I was sitting home alone
Waiting for you
To 3 o'clock in the morn'
And when you came home you'd always had some sorry excuse
And explaining to me like I was some kind of a fool
I sacrifice the things I want just to do things for you
But when it's time to do for me
You never come through
Now you
Wanna be a part of me
Now you
Have so much to say to me
Now you
Wanna make time for me
What you doing to me, your confusing me
Don't play with me, don't play with me cause
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
I remember when I was sitting home alone
Waiting for you
To 3 o'clock in the morn'
Night after night knowing something's going on
What's that number for b go-a-go-a-gone
Lord knows it wasn't easy believe me
Never thought you'd be the one that would deceive me
And never do what your suppose to do
No need to punch me boo cause I won't play you cause
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
What goes around comes around (yeah)
What goes up most come down
Gotta stop trying to come back to me
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
It's called Karma, baby
And it goes around
What goes around comes around
What goes up most come down
Now who's crying, desiring to come back to me
03 Heartburn (03:28)
let me tell you something
tell you how i feel
when he comes around
I get to feeling ill
it's an achy feeling
inside my chest
it's like i'm goin into cardiac arrest
(Bridge)
Adrenaline rushin in my body
with all my power I just can't fight it
now matter how hard I keep on tryin
I can't deny I got this
(Chorus)
Heartburn
burning in my soul
Heartburn
call the fire department
Heartburn
It's out of control
Heartburn
You got me trippin, slippin
Gettin besid myself
I tried some medication
But don't nothin help
So I say Doctor, doctor
Tell me wil I die
And he said
Count to 5 Alicia
And I'm gonna be alright
Let's go 1 2 3 4
Bridge & Chorus
Taste so good I can't resist
Getinharder to digest
I can't take no more
Gotta shakei off
Now break it down
And Take it to the ground wit me now
Everybody say oh......
Chorus
Shake it, Shake it
Go 'head girl
SHake it, shake it
Oooooo
(repeat)
05 You Don't Know My Name (06:06)
Baby, baby, Baby
From the day I saw you
Really, really wanted to catch your eye
Somethin' special bout' you
I must really like you
'Cause not a lot of guys are worth my time
Oh baby, baby, baby
It's getting kind of crazy
'Cause you are taking over my mind
(Chorus)
And it feels like oooooh
You Don't know my name
I swear, it feels like ooooooh
You Don't know my name
(round and round and round we go,will you ever know)
Oh! Baby, baby, baby
I see us on our first date
Doing everything that makes me smile
When we had our first kiss
It happened on a Thursday
ooh it set my soul on fire
oooh Baby, baby, baby
I can't wait for the first time
My imagination's running wild
(Chorus)
It feels like oooooh
You Don't Know My Name
And I swear it Baby, it feels like ooooooh
You Don't Know My name
(Round and round and round we go, will you ever know)
I'm sayin, he don't even know what he's doin to me
Got me feelin all crazy inside
I'm feelin like, Oh!
Doing nothing I've ever done, for anyone's attention
Take notice of what's in front of me
'Cause did I mention (oh!) You bout' to miss a good thing
And you'll never know how good it feels
To have, all my affection
And you'll never get a chance to experience, my lovin (oh!)
'Cause my lovin feels like
(Chorus)
oooooh
You Don't Know my name
And I swear it feels like
oooooooh
You Don't my name
Will you ever know it?
I'm going to have to go ahead and just call this boy
Hello, can I speak to..to Michael
Oh hey, how ya' doin'?
I feel kinda' silly doin' this, but uh
This is the waitress from the coffee house on 39th and Lennox
(Chuckle) you know the one with the braids?
Yeah
Well I see you on Wednesday's, all the time
You come on every Wednesday on your lunch break I think
You always order the special, with the hot chocolate
Look man I mean, I know girls don't usually do this
But I was wonderin'
if maybe we could get together outside the restaurant one day
You know, 'cause I do look a lot different outside my work clothes
(Chuckle) Wait a minute, my cell phones breakin' up
Can you hear me now?
yeah, so what day did you say?
Oh, Thursday's perfect
(Chorus)
And it feels like oooohhh
You Don't Know My name
And I swear on my mother and father it feels like
oooooooh
oooooooh
oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Will you ever know?
08 Dragon Days (04:36)
Like a damselle in distress
I'm stressin you
My castle became a dungeon
Cause I'm longing for you
Feeling strong for you
You my knight in shining armor
See Your face in a silver moon
All over the lagoon
and it feels like
Dragon Days
And the fires hot
Like the desert needs water
I need you alot
Dragon days
I need to be saved
I'm missin you
And the days drag on
Desparate for you baby
Do you know what that means
I feel like an addict must feel
when he feigns
In an act of desparation
I get lost in my dreams
Cause like a lady in waitin I'm waitin for you
Prisoner tied over alligator water
Waitin for my prince of paradise to come and take me away from these
Chorus
Don't you wanna play
Chorus
(repeat x2)
09 Wake Up (04:27)
You Used to be my closest ally
In this cold, cold world of deception and lies
We would defend and protect one another
Now I can't tell if we're enemies or lovers
(bridge)
So who's gonna rescue us from ourselves
(chorus)
When we gonna wake up, baby
It's time for lovin
when we gonna wake up, my baby
Before it's too late
Oh Oh Baby, where did we go wrong baby
Did this cold, cold world turn us into stone
well, now all I battle is your ego and your pride
It's ticking like a time bomb ready to ignight
Hurtin' me to fight
Bridge & Chorus
Chorus
When the smoke clears
What will be left for us but tears and pain
Why must we argue over the same things
Just to make up and go back again
It's never to late it isn't too long
Can't get it right when no one thinks they're wrong
Gotta get outta bed
And take a look at what's goin on
Chorus
(Repeat 3xs)
Oh baby
(Wake Up)
Oh Darlin
(Wake Up)
When we gonna wake Up
(wake Up)
When we gonna take a look and see
(Wake Up)
What's goin on
(Wake Up)
oh What's goin on
(Wake Up)
Cause we're wastin so much time
(Wake Up)
And we're bout to lose it all
(wake Up)
O baby, baby, baby
(wake Up)
said I need you baby
Oh I need my baby home
Bring my baby back to me
(wake up.......out)
13 Slow Down (04:18)
Ooo baby
there's somthing that I gotta tell ya
Baby you should know
What's on my mind
Now ooo baby
I'm feelin our situation
It's gettin stronger
How we wanted
But i gotta take my time
(Bridge)
See there so much about you
That I want to explore
Physical attraction
We just can't ignore it
But before we got too far across the line
Gotta really make sure that i'm sure
(Chorus)
Slow down babe
Let take our time
SLow down babe
If you don't mind
Slow down babe
Before we make this move
Slow down babe
baby slow down
(i Think it's really too soon)
Ooo baby
It's like I've known you forever
My medula obligada is electrified
ooo ooo baby
whenever we're alone together
I'm about to explode and it feels so right
but i gotta take my time
Bridge & chorus
See I know what is best
cause I've been there before
gave myself to someone
for all the wrong reasons
But this time around
I don't wanna do that again
I just wanna make this
the way that i've dreamed of
So baby you got ta...
Chorus
15 Nobody Not Really (02:56)
Who really cares?
Who really cares?
When I talk?
What I feel?
What I say?
Nobody not really
Who wants to take
The time to understand
I would like someone to heal me with some empathy
But I can't find…
Nobody not really
Maybe I'm invisible to the world
Does anyone in the world even think of me?
As more than just a hopeless cause
Maybe the world is not my block
My stoop
My life
My dreams
My anything, anything
Who wants to help?
Mama, but she's so tired
Papa, but you're not here
I'm alone in a big empty space with
Nobody not really
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