Unplugged - Alicia Keys

Advantages: Beautiful arrangements, some brilliant new songs
Disadvantages: Could of been more new material, but the CD does not feel empty without them,

Having been lucky enough to go and see Miss Keys live twice, I can honestly say, as beautiful as her voice sounds when its been recorded in a studio, its only when you hear her live that you fully understand how talented she is. This album lets you get closer to the experience of her live performances. Although it has only has a few new tracks, hearing a live recording of her old favourites brings something new to the songs. Some of the arangements ...
...would say some of these versions are better than the orginals. I definitely wasn't left feeling short changed by the limited number of new songs, although the ones that are on there are excellent, particularly Wild Horses, which is a sensational duet with the amazingly talented lead singer of Maroon 5.Definitely one to listen out for!!! Of the old(er) songs, the version of 'If I ain't got you' is beautiful, as i the arrangement of 'If I was your ... Read review

Advantages: Great showcase of her musical talents, good new arrangements of existing songs
Disadvantages: Not enough new tracks!

...This album follows in the footsteps of a number of other 'unplugged' sets in recent years. Like many of these, one of the big plus points is the feel of 'live' music from artists that people might not have had the opportunity to see live. On this album, the listener gets a good feel for what a fantastic musician Alicia Keys is, what a fantistic voice she has, and just how good it must be to go to a live gig of hers. There is a good mix of tracks on this album, with a number from her first two albums and a couple of new ones. In terms of the old material, its great to hear new arrangements of these tracks, and although for me a few miss the heights of the original versions, others (e.g. If I aint got you) are simply brilliant. The new tracks are great - Unbreakable is a fantastic song that is brilliant 'unpugged... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Brilliant performance
Disadvantages: 1 weak link

...After Alicia Keys recent album success, I have become somewhat of a fan and started to delve into her back catalogue. One of the albums in there that I had really enjoyed is this MTV Unplugged session from 2005. Recorded on her home turf a Brooklyn Academy of Music, this is a showcase for a true vocal talent and talented pianist. The applause for her opening "Intro Alicia's Prayer" soon dies down and you can almost hear a pin drop until her smooth soul voice takes over. She barely sings 5 lines and the audience are clearly die hard fans as they appreciation of her is plain to hear. Personally, I like Alicia Keys when she has a bit of attitude in her voice, so I welcomed the early inclusion in the set of "Karma" & "Heatburn", which are brilliant examples of that attitude, and performances like this put other wannabee R&B singers... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful