Trevor Nelson - 02/09/2009

Trevor's Album Of The Week is Alicia Keys' The Diary Of Alicia Keys(2003). Musically, this is a seamless piece of work, a sultry slow groove that emphasizes her breathy, seductive voice and lush soulfulness. Tonally, this is ideal late-night romantic music, even when the tempos are kicked up a notch as on the blaxploitation-fuelled Heartburn. Yet beneath that sensuous surface there is some crafty, complex musicality, particularly in how Keys blurs lines between classic soul, modern rhythms, jazz, pop melodies, and singer/songwriter sensibility. It's an exceptionally well-constructed production worth repeated listens. And as a sustained piece of sonic craft, it's not just seductive, it's testament to Keys' growing musical strengths.