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3.5 out of 5 stars

Alicia Keys, HERE ยฉ RCAAlicia Keys continues to expand beyond her roots on โ€œHoly War,โ€ the second confirmed song from her upcoming album, Here.

With each album, R&B singer/songwriter Alicia Keys continues to change.ย  Likely, Keys would characterize it as evolution.ย  Interestingly, her evolution has seemingly wandered farther and farther away from R&B every time.ย  While little is known about the latest album Here beyond single โ€œBlended Familyโ€ and latest single โ€œHoly War,โ€ both suggest Keys is aiming for more socially-conscious themes as well as moving beyond R&B.ย  In one respect, it does show growth, while in another, itโ€™s quite a departure from Alicia Keys of the past.

From the start, โ€œHoly Warโ€ sounds different from previous Alicia Keys songs.ย  She delivers soulful vocals, which help to balance the different sound of the record. A socially-conscious sound is evidenced from the start (the first verse):

โ€œIf war is holy and sex is obscene
Then we got it twisted in this lucid dream
Baptized in boundaries, schooled in sin
Divided by difference, sexuality and skin.โ€

The lyrics clearly lacks the more commercial, R&B-sound of her past work.ย  Positively, the subject matter is important โ€“ relevant in the bigger scheme of things. For years, she has been evolving, as aforementioned. The cons for Keys are what the success rate of this change means for fans who still long for โ€œFallinโ€™,โ€ โ€œYou Donโ€™t Know My Name,โ€ or โ€œIf I Ainโ€™t Got You.โ€

Keysโ€™ vocals are yearning and expressive on the chorus, if coarse.ย  The chorus is catchier than the rest of song, expectedly, but not radio-ready.ย  Regardless, it sums up Keysโ€™ meaningful message:

โ€œMaybe we should love somebody
Maybe we could care a little more
Maybe we should love somebody
Instead of polishing the bombs of holy war.โ€

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, โ€œHoly Warโ€ is a meaningful song that aims bigger than many songs on the radio. Alicia Keys definitely ย deserves credit for this. This wonโ€™t be everybody cup of tea, however.ย  Socially, itโ€™s a superb statement.ย  Commercially, unfortunately, itโ€™s not nearly as brilliant. ย Likely, Keys could care less about how it resonates commercially at this point.

3.5 out of 5 stars


Alicia Keys โ€ข HERE โ€ข RCA โ€ข Release: 11.4.16
Photo Credit: RCA

 

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the musical hype

the musical hype aka Brent Faulkner has earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in music (music Education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and a freelance music journalist. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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