Unplugged

Performer: Alicia Keys
Artist: Adam Levine; Common; Damian Marley; Mos Def
Producer: Chris Balogh...
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Alicia Keys (vocals, piano); Arthur White (guitar); Gwen Laster, Mariana Green Hill (violin); Anne-Marie Bedney (viola); Eileen Folson (cello); David Watson (flute, saxophone); Joe Romano (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jeff Dieterie (trombone); Onree Gill (keyboards); Steve Mostyn (bass instrument); Paul John (drums); Pablo Batista (percussion); Jerimiah "Jermaine" Paul, Anaysha Figueroa, Sarah Devine, Denise Stoudmire (background vocals). While most performers benefit greatly from studio technology, some shine the brightest in an unadorned live setting. As 2005's MTV UNPLUGGED reveals, Alicia Keys is one of the latter--she's a nuanced singer and gifted pianist whose talent is showcased on this impressive concert outing. Here Keys takes many of the R&B-rooted songs from her first two albums and gives them dynamic live treatments, throwing in a few deft cover tunes to keep the set varied and unpredictable. Maroon 5's Adam Levine stops by for a spare rendition of the Stones' "Wild Horses," resulting in a duet that brings to mind a youthful collaboration between Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, while the closing track incorporates Damian "Junior Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock," with Marley (one of Bob's sons) and rappers Common and Mos Def joining the party. However, Keys is at her best on her own songs, as displayed by the soulful "If I Ain't Got You," which builds to uplifting gospel-tinged heights, and "Fallin'," a wonderfully melancholy tune that showcases Keys's passionate vocals.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 844, p.148) - "...[T]he most cohesive of her three albums...." - Grade: B+

Precocious R&B vocalist/pianist Alicia Keys was hand-picked by Clive Davis as one of the flagship artists for his post-Arista label, J Records. No doubt he was as impressed by her multitude of skills (Keys took a large role in the writing, arranging, and production of her debut album) as by her music, which mates contemporary hip-hop accoutrements to an old-school soul sensibility � la Jill Scott or D'Angelo. Only 20 years old at the time of the album's release, Keys already seemed poised for a major career built upon her soulful voice and classically trained piano chops. While hip-hop played a much bigger role on her sophomore effort, 2003's THE DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS, it was a smash nonetheless, and subsequent recordings have further pushed the boundaries of R&B.

* Estimated Delivery Dates are based on anticipated order processing and transit times, and are not guaranteed dates.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.2

Shipping Options and Policies