Songs from A Major artist

Forget the flood of publicity accompanying the infamous Britney/Madonna make-out session for a second. Now, remember Alicia Keys' performance at last year's MTV Music Awards, which generated just as much media coverage in 2002. But the difference was Keys did not have to swap saliva with another girl; her mouth alone gets enough attention thanks to her incredible voice. Keys, appropriately named, can also play the piano. And she writes her own songs. \nFor her second record, Alicia Keys has transformed her diary entries while on the road promoting her debut Songs in A Minor into a collection of '60s and '70s soul-inspired tunes. What results is Keys succeeding in offering an album that surpasses her debut in every category. The vocals are flawless and confident, the lyrics are more mature, and thanks to guest producers Timbaland (of Missy Elliott fame) and Kanye West (of "KrucialKeys" Enterprise), the album has some "bump" to it. \nThe album follows the same structure as her debut, alternating piano-driven tracks with an array of other instruments, including guitars, saxophones, horns and violins and adding hip-hop beats as its pulse. "Heartburn" in particular has a very modern rock instrumentation with electric guitar licks and heavy percussion, but Alicia's vocals keep it part rhythm and blues. \nOther strong tracks include her recently-released first single "You Don't Know My Name," which sounds like a collaboration between Keys and the Supremes. The piano ornamentation shows off Alicia's impeccable skills on the keyboard. The next two songs ("If I Ain't Got You" and "Diary") are the only "ballads" on the album, but they dodge Celine Dion-style cheesiness by containing heartfelt lyrics and innovative hooks. \nThe second half of the album gets even better. The chorus on "Dragon Days" makes it the strongest track, and "Wake Up" shows an early R&B influence in the background vocals of Easy Mo Bee and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone! "Samsonite Man" speaks of an on-again, off-again relationship, but Alicia sings that this time, she's "Gotta go, gotta go." \nThe five-time Grammy-winning singer wrote or co-wrote all but one track and produced the large majority of it, and every aspect of the album reflects her control. The album is The Diary of Alicia Keys. The first single is "You Don't Know My Name." The artist? You know her name by now.