No, sorry. The original songs on this CD are only fair-- better than the truly dreadful erzatz "funk" you find on a Boy Band or Britney Spears album, but not great. Those same two or three dull chords, churning over and over, grate badly ("Falling" is harmonically one of the dullest songs I've ever heard). Alicia is still growing into her voice, and her delivery sounds like false bravado most of the time-- she's overreaching on most tracks. And she plays piano-- pretty well, yes, but so what?

I think the rock critic establishment fell over itself to praise this album ONLY because it was not as horrible as stuff coming out from the Britney/Backstreet Boys/*NSync etc. juggernaut. I do think Alicia Keys has a future, if she doesn't believe the hype now and continues to grow as an artist.


A SECOND OPINION:THIS IS ALBUM IS OVERATED   January 13, 2002
J. Johnson (CT)
18 out of 24 found this review helpful

Around September,I wrote a review on Alicia Keys' "Songs In A Minor" that gave it five stars and named it 'The #1 Album of 2001'.I had brought the album in July of 2001 and really dug it.
"Wow,this is something else",I thought to myself.At the time,
I was thinking that this beautiful,streetwise piano prodigy that wrote,produced,and arranged most of her own material was one of the best female artists to come around in R&B since Mary J. Blige or Erykah Badu.

But that was six months ago.I have a second opinion on this album
now.

THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST OVERATED ALBUMS TO COME OUT IN SOME TIME.
Yes,Alicia is a gifted singer and pianist.
She's an exellent songwriter-one of the best out today.
But call me a hater or whatever you want but there are other albums by female R&B artists that blow "Songs In A Minor" out the water!
Res,Lina,Pru,even my girl Mystic all made more inspired and more intresting music than Alicia Keys.But they didn't enjoy half the commerical success and media hype that Ms. Keys attained.

Compared with the way better albums,"Songs In A Minor" sounds overproduced and overconfident.But,I have to admit "Songs In A Minor" has its really shining moments.
Yeah,"Fallin'" was very overplayed but still the song is full of emotion and has a slighty haunting feel to it.But then again,
"Fallin'" does borrow a little too much from James Brown's
"It's A Man's World" and the piano playing could use more vigor.

"Troubles" is a real winner,though.It's even better than "Fallin'".But then again,the piano playing comes off lazy.
The Issac Hayes-inspired(Issac arranged the strings,in fact) "Rock With You" is a gem though.It was actually first featured on John Singleton's "Shaft" remake's soundtrack.And "Goodbye" has a tender emotional line which I really love.She does this without coming off sappy or bland.

But...Sorry,folks,but A.K. is just NOT the best!
Like another talented prodigy,Lenny Kravitz,A.K. relies on her influences too much.
I recommend Res' "How I Do",Mystic's powerful "Cuts For Luck,Scars For Freedom"(I really want to review this album,BUT it would be too,too LONG),Lina's "Stranger On Earth",or even the late Aaliyah's self-titled album(which is way,way,way better than "Songs In A Minor").

P.S.:Sorry Alicia fans,but I'm just speaking my mind!
I'm not trying to offend anyone.


Its all in the marketing   March 15, 2002
18 out of 25 found this review helpful

I was disappointed after I brought this CD! It is wonderful to see a musician play his or her own music, this is probably the reason why so many of us were drawn to the musicianship of D'Angelo. However, Alicia was marketed extremely well by Clive Davis. This is evident by her FIVE Grammy's. Placing her in the same position as Lauren Hill....and there is no comparison. She could be gifted...however she lacks depth and range. A pretty face and and an extremely wealthy man can get you a grammy too! I think it is an outrage that true singers such as Jill Scott, India Arie and Amel Laurrieux are constantly placed on back burners because they don't have a certain look. Maybe we need to get more commoners involved in the grammy selection process or award those artist truly deserving of the trophy.


A Heavy Hitter   June 27, 2001
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

When first hearing, "Fallin", I knew this artist had talent. But after finding out that she had studied piano for 7 years, I knew that she had true talent. "songs in A minor" is a must have. These days it is hard to find an artist who writes, produces, sings and even plays an instrument on their debut album. The entire album is pure listening enjoyment. Her piano skills alone would catch anyone's attention who enjoys classical piano but then to add her melodic, soulful voice enhances the album by far. I found that the intro, "Piano & I" was truly amazing. The archaic tones of original classical music flipped into a new school beat was brilliant. Track 2 entitled, "Girlfriend" will have your head bobbin' and your feet tappin'. Not only can you feel the groove with "Girlfriend", you can also relate to what she is saying. Track 11 entitled, "Mr. Man" feat. Jimmy Cozier provides a 20th century blues feel. My favorite tracks which are tracks 12, "Never Felt This Way"(which happens to be an interlude) and track 13, "Butterflyz" are not only well written but performed beautifully. In these songs, her voice reflects tones of Mariah Carey and Tina Marie. If you enjoy either of these artists, you will definitely enjoy, "Never Felt This Way." This album not only reflects her writing skills but the skills of well known artists/producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Kandi Burruss and Brian McKnight just to name a few. Overall, this album is a classic. This girl has real talent, she's not one of these bubble gum artists who made it because of her looks. It may have taken her a couple of years to cop a deal from a major label, but she made it because she displays not only vocal abilities but instrumental abilities as well. If you like the original R&B music of the 80's and 90's with a twist of new age hip hop, you definitely need to get, "songs in A minor."