Alicia Keys, Best of Me | Track Review

Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Alicia Keys continues to chase a vibe on singles “Best of Me (Originals)” and “Best of Me (Unlocked).”

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ne of the biggest surprises of 2021? Alicia Keys is releasing a new album! The reason why this surprising is because Keys just released ALICIA in 2020 and has been known to go years between new albums.  At this point, Keys is well-established, yet also past the most lucrative period in her career.  Still, for us die-hards, we get excited to see what she has in store.  After unleashing “La La (Unlocked)” featuring Swae Lee, Keys drops two more advance singles from Keys: “Best of Me (Originals)” and “Best of Me (Unlocked)”.

One of the big things that stands out about “Best of Me (Originals)” as well as “Best of Me (Unlocked)” is the vibe.  Yes, vibe is thrown around religiously these days, but much like “La La (Unlocked)”, Keys seems to be channeling a certain aesthetic – a sound more than poetic, transcendent songwriting.  “Best of Me” takes its time establishing itself, never feeling like it’s in a rush.   There’s a sense of enigma and sort of seeing where Keys is going.  Lyrically, she keeps it simple on the verses, pre-chorus, as well as the centerpiece, the chorus: “Baby, baby / We gonna rock forever / Ah-ha, ah-ha, ah / You get the best of me / … You got a way to make me feel.” Vocally, she sounds nice, not doing anything game changing with her pipes but again, embracing feel and vibe.  The original version is produced by Keys while the varied, ‘unlocked’ version adds Mike WiLL Made-It to the fold.

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Final Thoughts  

So, does the Grammy winner have a hit on her hands? Only time will tell, but my gut says NO, at least regarding commercial fortunes.  Things have changed since Alicia Keys topped the Billboard Hot 100.  I do appreciate her willingness to tweak her sound as “Best of Me” bears cues of the modern R&B sound. Does it compare with “Fallin’”, “If I Ain’t Got You”, or even “No One”? No, but it’s enjoyable and easy on the ears.

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Alicia Keys • Keys • RCA • 12.10.21
[: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay, RCA]

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