Keys’ album returns her to piano roots
Musician settles in with confidence, sense of freedom
Alicia Keys hasn’t felt completely free for much of her career. These days the heralded musician is loving the makeup-free skin she’s in and settled into a space of confidence and liberation.
That’s apparent in her eighth studio album, “KEYS,” which represents a back-tobasics approach for the classically trained pianist that heavily emphasizes the instrument that catapulted her into superstardom.
“I think it takes time to just feel good, have your confidence to learn, to grow, to have something to even share,” said the songstress, whose album arrived on Friday. “I just didn’t feel comfortable in my skin in the way that I do now.”
The 26-track album is broken down in two sections: “Originals” which features many pianodriven songs, followed by the “Unlocked” portion, which contains more hip-hop and four-to-thefloor remixes.
“There’s such a power to being able to be undefinable and have different sides of yourself expressed, but all based on that original place of the keys,” said the “Girl on Fire” singer. “That was so liberating because it felt like I’m in my lane and I’m just driving in it, you know what I mean? It was such a comfort to kind of come back to my home base.”
“Originals” features songs like “Best of Me,” a smooth, Sade-inspired love song, while the melodic singing in the atmospheric-vibed “Billions” is more aligned with today’s progressive R&B. There are also records like “Dead End Road” and “Old Memories” that most embody Keys’ intentions, as the piano chords are distinct, and the records swell with soul harmonies reminiscent of Aretha Franklin or Gladys Knight.
Writing on every song, Keyes also summoned the pens of R&B legend Raphael Saadiq and acclaimed country writer Natalie Hemby who’s worked with Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert, as well as Lady Gaga. traditional soul music—there’s also “Paper Flowers,” a collaboration with country star Brandi Carlile, and the beautiful folkstyled “Daffodils.”