Alicia Keys is one of my personal heroes. She is a talented musician, lyricist, singer and composer, and has remained gracious, humble and grounded. She has won 5 American Music Awards, 4 BET Music Awards, 10 Billboard Music Awards, 3 World Music Awards, 13 NAACP Image Awards, and 12 Grammy Awards. She has sold 14 million albums in the US, and another 16 million worldwide. And she is only 28!
Alicia Keys is also a great philanthropist and is an ambassador and co-founder of "Keep A Child Alive", which aims to provide for children in Africa that have been affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2009, she received the BET Humanitarian Award.
I could go on and on about how much I love Alicia and how gracious she is to her fans, but let's stick to the music for now..
On December 1st, Alicia Keys will be releasing her 4th studio album, called "The Element of Freedom". About two weeks ago, she posted audio from the lead single, "Doesn't Mean Anything" and today is day 2 of the music video shoot.
Here are two pictures of Alicia at the music video shoot (originally posted on Twitter by @AliciaKeys)
Take a listen and share your thoughts on the song:
My thoughts: I am a huge fan of Alicia, but this song falls short for me. The lyrics are great, but it sounds like "If I Ain't Got You" part 2. The music and arrangement are lacking. It sounds very similar to "No One" but without the power! It sounds like an unfinished demo. Her vocals are better than but it's missing something - it sounds empty. This will not be a classic Alicia hit. Sorry Alicia, I still think you are amazing, brilliant and talented, but this is not a strong first single. It's alright, but not strong enough for a single.
What do you all think?
