He sets the otherwise mild bedroom jam ‘Fire We Make’ ablaze just by showing up.” But Girl can’t perform miracles, and it may have erred in placing Keys, Version 2.0 in the proximity of the perpetually smoldering R&B star Maxwell. Its real pleasures lie in its subtle updating of her familiar, diaristic piano ballads, its incorporation of vaguely modern bats (like the woozy ‘When It’s All Over,’ with nonspecific chill-out tent noises courtesy of Jamie xx), and distinctive, martial percussion. The lovely stripped down “Not Even the King,” which features Keys quietly accompanying herself on piano, is another highlight.Īllison Stewart of Washington Post says, “ Girl sands down the edges of Keys’ nobility, but even at its most venomous, it doesn’t bite - it nibbles like an angry kitten. It’s easy to imagine Amy Winehouse singing the track, which Keys co-wrote with Bruno Mars and the Smeezingtons. Keys delivers a soulful old-school R&B ballad about missing her man. The two champions here are ‘Fire We Make, ‘ a sultry, sexy slow jam with Maxwell (and guitar work by Gary Clark Jr.) that sizzles on a low flame, and “Tears Always Win,” which sounds like it could have been on “Songs” or 2003’s The Diary of Alicia Keys. Melinda Newman at Hitfix, praises both the classic and experimental sounds : “The album is at its most melodic and commercial when Keys steps away from the empowerment theme (though she does that as well as anyone) and sings straight ahead love songs with a softness and vulnerability that is tremendously appealing. PHOTOS: VMAs 2012: Best and Worst Moments They’re the songs least suggestive of reinvention.” The new songs that push that subtext out front - which include the album’s singles, the ballad ‘Brand New Me’ (one of three self-actualizing, semi-autobiographical narratives written with the Scottish songwriter Emeli Sandé) and the preening title song, laid over the drum thwack of Billy Squier’s ‘Big Beat’ - quickly grow trite, in words and music. But it’s a measure of how powerful parenthood really is that it generates so many clichés.
#ALICIA KEYS DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS ALBUM COVER FULL#
Guess which one leads to better songs? … The subtext of Girl on Fire, full of collaborations with other singer-songwriters, is that marriage and motherhood have given her new freedom, confidence and momentum. But there’s something so typical about the booming title track and ‘New Day ‘ - both of which feel cut from the same cloth as ‘No One ‘ and ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything ‘ - that it’s hard to hear what Keys is trying to tell us.”īen Rat liff of The New York Times writes: “Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys’s fifth album, has two modes: lofty and submerged. ‘ Nor does it take away the spacey loveliness of ‘Listen to Your Heart, ‘ Which John Legend helped pen. The familiarity of that formula doesn’t diminish ‘Tears Always Win, ‘ a Motown-crinkly lament that Keys cowrote with Bruno Mars, or the folky, Babyface-produced ‘That’s When I Knew. “In spite of that fresh blood, Girl on Fire basically delivers the same payload as Keys’ other albums it’s a collection of handsomely crafted, gorgeously sung ballads interrupted by several overworked anthems about the value of perseverance. The L os A ngeles Times‘ Mikael Wood isn’t a fan of the album’s familiar sound. You know it’s a good sign of a strong album when the singles (‘New Day’, the Nicki Minaj-assisted track) are among the weakest songs.” It’s equally concerned with settling the score with a few former flames as it is with celebrating her wedded bliss with her new husband, thus saving it from schmaltz. Low on the filler that bogged down albums like 2003’s Diary of Alicia Keys and more sonically adventurous than 2007’s As I Am, Girl on Fire explores love past and present with a triumphant mood that prevails throughout. Some critics praise the album’s fiery sounds, while others claim Girl on Fire has yet to ignite:Īndrew Hampp of Billboard comments that, “It all gels impressively well on Girl on Fire, her fifth and arguably most consistent album to date. PHOTOS: 40 Years of the American Music Awards
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