Friday, May 06, 2005
Alicia Keys @ The Criterion Theatre
I have never played Alicia’s first album as much as I felt I ought to, er…coz I’ve never really LOVED it. True, there are a couple of killer cuts, but having seen stars at her first London showcase at Hanover Grand in April 2001(?), the earth has never quite moved for me since. Indeed, I have always wondered how she came to be so commercially successful and how she sells out the not-very-intimate Wembley Arena.
Alicia rocked the house again at the (very cosy) Criterion Theatre on Monday night - a showcase of material from her forthcoming album, with perhaps a bit too much airtime devoted to her past successes (e.g. ‘‘Fallin’ ‘’ ) for a proper preview.
[I actually attended with a writer-producer-artist client of ours, Marc Nelson, son of Phyllis ( ‘‘Move Closer’’ ), founder of Boyz II Men, lead singer of Az Yet, protege/writer/singer with Babyface and most significantly, also an artist dropped by Columbia Records!].
Ms. Keys is a prodigious talent, as much at home on keys (centre-stage), as when she’s standing at the mike, legs apart, doing her super ‘fly-girl’ thang. Her live vocals are so natural that you sit in anticipation of her voice breaking…which of course it never quite does. Any abortive attempt to reach a note just feels like a passionate expression of pain…or pleasure, entirely consistent with her subject-matter.
The earth moved again and everybody floated out into Picadilly Circus, grinning inanely in a post-coital stupor. However, I rather suspect that I shall eagerly peel off the CD wrapper, only to end up fiddling with the body inside, now and then…
Posted by Dej on 06 May around 1pm
Filed Under Music •