Alicia Keys, KEYS | Album Review 💿

Alicia Keys surprises with her eighth studio album, KEYS, featuring both sparer originals and remixed, ‘unlocked’ versions of those originals.

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ne of the biggest surprises of 2021? 🏆 15-time, Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Alicia Keys releasing a new album a mere year after releasing 💿 ALICIA! 💿 Keys, her eighth studio album, is a double album, but not in the traditional sense.  Disc two (Unlocked) features a couple of songs that don’t grace the first disc (Originals), but rather than being a new album, it’s essentially a remixed, partially reimagined version of the originals gracing the first disc.  Does the concept work – a disc of often sparer originals versus a disc of ‘unlocked’ songs expanding the scope? Yes, it does overall, yielding a surprising, enjoyable, though imperfect album.

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💿 1 (Originals)

“Plentiful” 

Alicia Keys commences KEYS with 🎵 “Plentiful.”  It begins rather enigmatically with dramatic piano work, set in a minor key.  After Keys drops the intriguing intro, 🎙 Pusha T drops a brief but potent verse, over relatively simple but classy, East Coast hip-hop/R&B production, with a dash of reggae.  Keys produced the opener with hubby, 🎛 Swizz Beatz. ✅ 🎵 “Skydive (Originals),” follows, featuring more of a traditional R&B sound – in a contemporary sense, that is! “Skydive” features a robust bass line, a simple but effective groove, and of course, Keys’ beloved keys.  Besides the sound of the record, “Skydive” bears a simple but catchy chorus that plays to Keys’ strength.  Vocally, she sounds respectable as she urges resilience: “If we fall down, if we all down / Gotta get up, gotta get up.”

✅ 🎵 “Best of Me (Originals)” arrived as a promo single from KEYS, alongside 🎵 “Best of Me (Unlocked),” of course.  One of the big things that stands out about “Best of Me” is the vibe.  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 initially.  Lyrically, Keys 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.  She produces the original version while the ‘unlocked’ version adds 🎛 Mike WiLL Made-It to the fold.

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“Dead End Road (Originals)” 

✅ 🎵 “Dead End Road (Originals)” marks another alluring moment from KEYS.  Alicia sings expressively over soulful keys (piano, organ), guitar, and backing vocals.  Eventually, we get some 808s, which provides contrast and fills things out. Besides the sound palette, I like the harmonic progression.  Also, kudos to another well-rounded chorus. 🎵 “Is It Insane (Originals)” brings some jazz and blues vibes to the table.  Keys sings sultry over moody piano, paying ode to the legends, at least regarding sound.  At times, KEYS begs for more developed songwriting.  “Is It Insane” marks one of the more captivating songs to come from her pen. The music is brilliant with its classy jazz cues, including the harmonic progression, while the melody is beautifully – impressively constructed.  

“Ooh, no limit to the things that I do / Nobody else can say it ain’t true / I am one in a billion / You are one in a billion.” If “Is It Insane” dipped way back in the past, 🎵 “Billions (Originals)” feels like more of a modern contemporary R&B record.  Even so, there are moments I hear the chill vibes of, say, 🎙 Erykah Badu, whose glory days were in the late 90s and early aughts.  The writing keeps things simple but flows respectably without a hitch.  The chorus, excerpted above, is the centerpiece – the claim to fame for this numerical gem.  Keys changes course once more on 🎵 “Love When You Call My Name (Originals).” Here, she’s soulful, but also dips into pop and singer/songwriter sensibilities. Vocally, she has some chilling moments, specifically those upper harmonized instances.  Harmonically, the record is well constructed, the verses are pleasant, while the hook is the “cat’s meow.”

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“Only You”

🎵 “Only You (Originals)” continues find Alicia Keys providing contrast to her past work.  Yes, “Only You” sounds like a song that Keys wrote for example, but it doesn’t necessarily sound like something we’ve necessarily heard during her illustrious career.  Overall, it’s an interesting song, particularly when we add more instrumentation (guitar and a consistent drum groove) and increased dynamics.  Is it the most memorable song when considering the entirety of her catalog?  Not so much.  

✅ 🎵 “Daffodils (Originals)” is more distinct than “Only You” in my eyes.  Here, Keys successfully dips into singer/songwriter, folk pop/rock.  Many times, since the end of her neo-soul era, Keys has integrated more pop in addition to other styles into her sound.  I love her vocal tone here, as well as the harmonized vocals.  The piano lines are sensational, as is the addition of some synths and birds calling, signaling that shift from winter to spring.  The chorus is terrific: “Growing up slowly over the hills / Winter is over, here come the daffodils.” 🎵 “Old Memories (Originals)” has a tough act to follow.  Even so, it finds Keys return to those soulful R&B roots – those glorious neo-soul days.  Furthermore, “Old Memories” hearkens back to the retro and vintage sounds of the 1950s and 60s.

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“Nat King Cole (Originals)”

Among the best songs on KEYS is ✅ 🎵 “Nat King Cole (Originals).” Here, Alicia sings in sultry fashion, embracing jazzy vibes of a torch song.  Here, Keys co-produces with 🎛 Mike WiLL Made-It, providing an additional lift as well as contrast.  The originals version is terrific on its own while the later “unlocked” version proves even grander.  So, what does the late, great 🎙 Nat King Cole have to do with this song?  Well, Keys references his beloved song, 🎵 “Unforgettable” on the chorus, the crowning achievement:

“If you wanna take it all
Let the chandeliers fall (Fall)
While you’re standing tall like the Taj Mahal
Be unforgettable
Like Nat King Cole
Like Nat King Cole.”

While the Originals side of KEYS is mostly Alicia Keys alone, she invites a guest along on 🎵 “Paper Flowers.” That guest is a gifted, 🏆 Grammy winner in her own right: 🎙 Brandi Carlile.  As you’d expect, the vocal chemistry between the two is marvelous. Each musician gets their own respective verse, joining forces on the final, magical chorus. 🎵 “Like Water” appears as the penultimate record on the Originals disc, giving Keys another ballad (there’s an abundance of them).  Ultimately, it’s respectable and well-rounded without being game changing or innovative. 🎵 “KEYS,” meanwhile, is a radiant closing piano interlude.

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💿 2 (Unlocked)

“Only You (Unlocked)”

The majority of 💿 2, Unlocked features different mixes and varied production of the songs that appear on the Originals.  Opener 🎵 “Only You (Unlocked)” gets a bold remix, backed by an inescapable, hard-hitting, dance-soul groove.  There are numerous repeated lyrics from Keys (“I am, I, I, I am, I am, I, I, I am”), idiomatic of dance/electronic music.  🎵 “Skydive (Unlocked)” also sounds starkly different from the Originals, adding more groove. Great in its original form, “Skydive” is an example of a song that didn’t necessitate the unlocked treatment.  Still, the resulting record is worth checking out. ✅ 🎵 “Best of Me (Unlocked)” is successful in either format from my perspective.  This Mike Will Made-It assisted version adds some more spice – nothing wrong with that!

Out of the context of KEYS, I found ✅ 🎵 “LALA (Unlocked)” to be a surprising departure for Alicia Keys – a stark contrast from the glory days.  However, after hearing it in the context of the Unlocked disc, this 🎙 Swae Lee featured joint, I have more respect for this record.  “LALA” dabbles in a tropical sound with a hint of neo-soul (the slow tempo and that bass line). Still, doesn’t “LALA” sound more tailormade for Swae Lee than Keys? He fits the chill, laidback aesthetic, but those autotuned, syrupy vocals are polarizing.  Regardless, that chorus is fire:

“Light the incense, lose the tension, feel like heaven
Lust mixed with a vodka
La, la-la, la, la-la, la, la
Feelings get lost in the lala.”

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“Nat King Cole (Unlocked)” 

🎵 “Nat King Cole” marks another original that didn’t require unlocked treatment.  That said, ✅ 🎵 “Nat King Cole (Unlocked)” marks one of the gems of KEYS. 🎙 Lil Wayne does a marvelous job rapping the first verse.  While he retains his Weezy-ness, he also reins himself in, fitting the classy vibes of this modern-day torch song of sorts.  Another triumph comes by way of ✅ 🎵 “Is It Insane (Unlocked),” which retains its jazzy vibes but is accentuated with a dash of trap flavor via drums.  I really like how Mike WiLL Made-It enhanced this one.  Again, there’s elements of torch songs yet he modernizes it with clever production tricks.

Like 🎵 “LALA (Unlocked)”, 🎵 “Come for Me (Unlocked)” is a brand-new original on the Unlocked side of KEYS.   Here, Keys is joined by two fabulous R&B musicians: 🎙 Lucky Daye and 🎙 Khalid.  Their silky-smooth vocals complement Keys superbly.  Furthermore, the modern R&B backdrop by Mike WiLL Made-It, 🎛 Carter Lang, and 🎛 BJ Burton is sweet.  Thematically, Keys is searching for someone who will “Love me loud / Let it drive you wild” – someone who will “come for me,” “run to me,” and “be enough for me.” That’s reasonable! As for 🎵 “Old Memories (Unlocked),” like 🎵 “Only You (Unlocked)” and 🎵 “Skydive (Unlocked),” the unlocked version speeds up the tempo, amplifies the groove, and provides a different vibe.  Neither version is necessarily my favorite from Keys, but both are respectable and worthy of spins.  I do heart the spirited, gospel-tinged backing vocals.

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“Dead End Road (Unlocked)”

Some things work incredibly well with the unlocked treatment.  While ✅ 🎵 “Dead End Road” is strong as an original, Lang, and Burton ‘put in work’ behind the boards on 🎵 “Dead End Road (Unlocked).”  What I’m saying is, either version gets my blessing. 🎵 “Love When You Call My Name (Unlocked)” is successfully reimagined with ‘souped-up,’ hard-hitting drums. Fans who cried foul that 🎵 “Love When You Call My Name” sounded ever too folksy or un-R&B will appreciate it more in its unlocked form.  

🎵 “Daffodils” shined as an original – among the crème de la crème of KEYS.  🎵 “Daffodils (Unlocked)” is much more adventurous.  Is that a positive or negative thing? Personal preference, ultimately. The beat and synths added are intriguing.  While it has its moments, I prefer the original in this instance.  🎵 “Billions (Unlocked)” is a fitting coda.  The original version was modern R&B.  The unlocked version accelerates the pace, changes the beat, and gives the record more of a dance feel.

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Final Thoughts 💭 

So, how does the 26-track KEYS stack up? All in all, KEYS is an enjoyable double album.  Alicia Keys takes some risks, doing some things we haven’t previously heard her do.  Do all her experiments work out perfectly? No. Is the songwriting consistently elite? No. Sometimes sound and vibe seem to take precedent over elite writing. Regardless, I appreciate the fact she ‘stirs the pot’ to some extent.  Furthermore, I like the fact that the first disc is originals with sparer production while the second allows for an expanded sound palette, with the beats being the primary force on the remixes.  Ultimately, I liked KEYS better than I thought I would.  Not her best or most complete album, even 26 tracks deep, but a worthwhile listen.

✅ Gems 💎: “Skydive,” “Best of Me (Originals),” “Dead End Road, “Daffodils,” “Nat King Cole,” “Best of Me (Unlocked),” “LALA (Unlocked),” “Is It Insane (Unlocked)”

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🎙 Alicia Keys • 💿 KEYS • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 12.10.21
[📷: RCA]

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