Alicia Keys Research Papers

As seen on the cover of her new album HERE, Alicia Keys poses in black and white in her bare and natural state of beauty, which I argue reflects the mood of the overall album (Figure 1). While there were many politically inspired albums released over the course of this year, such as Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” I believe that Alicia Keys’ sixth album stands out among the rest (Mackay). Unlike her previous albums, Keys’ has a more rough, hip-hop like sound, accompanied by her meaningful lyrics (Keith). “Alicia Keys is a creature of habit when it comes to her music. With “Piano and I,” the first track on her hugely successful debut album Songs in A Minor, she started the tradition of opening her albums with a clearly marked intro.” This album, just like previous ones has a distinct introduction, which helps the listener better
Although this album differs from Alicia Keys previous albums I thought that it held good purpose in developing some of the political issues and movements she talks about. To emphasize the meaning of HERE Keys released a short film titled The Gospel, which addresses the police brutality in New York City. The 23-minute film represents the New York in which Keys grew up in and features a series of four-chapters about growing up there. This album as a whole I felt was a success due to her effort to incorporate so much awareness for the things that she cares about. While HERE is definitely a presentational album and not participatory for obvious reasons I think that many listeners can relate to the issues she addresses and appreciate the work that she has done (Turino). In conclusion, this album adds a new aspect to the types of music that she typically performs, adding a “grittier R&B edge” along with incorporating sounds from the streets of New York to represent herself