Alicia Keys Discography: Favorite Song On Each CD

2001  "A WOMAN'S WORTH" from Songs In A Minor

Five Grammy wins for Alicia's debut album!   Comparisons to Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and Stevie Wonder after only one CD.   Alicia didn't jump on the hip hop rap bandwagon, she faithfully stuck to her classically trained roots and released an album that crossed multiple genres.   Jazzy tones, 70's funk, neo-soul styling, piano ballads, old school New York hip hop beats, yet kept it all contemporary and urban.   She even threw in a Prince cover.  It felt vintage and new at the same time.  The two singles are legendary, the gospel-tinged advice to the guys, "A Woman's Worth" and "Falling" with Alicia showing off her vocal capabilities. Alicia said she wrote Falling to describe the roller coaster nature of a relationship when she said, "Sometimes, you're completely head-over-heels in love with someone, and sometimes you can't stand that person. You fall in and out".  The remix of the CD including a Top 10 Hip Hop jam with Eve called "Gangsta Lovin" which only added to her mystique. 

2003  "IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN / WALK ON BY"  from       The Diary Of Alicia Keys

No sophomore slump for Alicia.  Her 2nd CD debuted at #1, sold eight million copies worldwide, and three more Grammy awards including Best R&B album.   "If I Ain't Got You", "You Don't Know My Name" (written with a young Kanye West), and "Karma" all exploded on the pop charts.   My two favorite songs are a sexy two minute interlude called "Feeling You, Feeling Me" (previous blog) and her mashup of "If I Were Your Woman/Walk On By".  Paying homage to Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick, Alicia updated the beats and increased the urgency of the lyrics.   

DAILY MUSIC TRIVIA:  I was asked this question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, what 80's TV show did a six year old Alicia Keys guest star on?   Yesterday: 

2007  "LIKE YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN" from As I Am

Alicia's third album lived up to lofty expectations becoming the the Number One selling CD of 2008.  You couldn't turn on the radio and not hear her optimistic love song, "No One".   She teamed up with John Mayer for "Lesson Learned" and "Teenage Love Affair" became two more R&B hits.  Like some critics, I found Alicia's third album a little poppy and overall not as strong as her first two releases.   But there was still some amazing songs on it like "Tell You Something" (Nana's Theme) which featured Alicia crooning at the piano.  My favorite song, "Like You'll Never See Me Again" was enhanced by an award winning video with Common.  The visuals are as amazing as the record's message. 

 
2009 "DISTANCE AND TIME" from The Element Of Freedom

Perhaps a backlash or an audience looking for Alicia to challenge her potential more, The Element Of Freedom, became her first release to NOT hit #1.    Many of the songs were sensitive ballads, the words "moody" and "delicate" describe the feel of the album as a whole.   One bright spot was the production by Swiss Beatz, who fell in love with Alicia during the recording session.   Their affair ignited a media frenzy, yet, they have since married and welcomed a beautiful boy into the world.  Her version of Jay-Z's tribute to NYC, "Empire State of Mind Part 2" and "Wait Until You See My Smile" are stand out tracks.   The pinnacle of the disc, "Distance And Time", perfectly describes those lonely moments when the one you love is away from you and you're counting the moments until they return, the tone harkens back to her dynamic debut CD.

Green Day Is Back! New Alica Keys, Jack White, Tamia

 "OH LOVE"      GREEN DAY
Get ready for Green Day, they're coming back with THREE new CDs in the next few months.   Uno!, Dos!, Tre!  (The drummer's name is Tre Cool so they got a little creative with their Spanglish) will be released every two months with each CD taking a different musical theme.   Uno! is power pop, Billie Joe said it's somewhere between AC/DC and early Beatles.   Dos! will feature garage rock, turn up the amps, and wake your neighbors.   Tre! is described as Epic.   Armstrong told Rolling Stone, "With the first album you're getting in the mood to party. On the second one, you're at the party. And the third album you're cleaning up the mess." LINK 

"NEW DAY"   ALICIA KEYS 

A lot has happened with Alicia since her last CD, she married Swiss Beatz and had her first baby.  Alicia said, "Everything is new, I'm a new person now.  What that's done for me in just giving me a real stability, real connection, grounding, reason, and purpose.  That empowerment and freedom is definitely something that's reflected in the new album." Love the first single, "New Day" with the emotional vocals driven by her husband's bass heavy hip hop beats. 

DAILY MUSIC TRIVIA:  What 80's sitcom included a scene with a young Alicia Keys?  Yesterday:  Erotica CD cases were dipped in Madonna's new perfume

 
"FREEDOM AT 21"   JACK WHITE

Guitar Hero, Jack White, gets Hall Of Fame video producer, Hype Williams, to direct his big budget extravaganza.   The guitar solo during the last 60 seconds is the highlight of the record.  "Blubberbuss", Jack's solo CD, hasn't sold up to White Stripes-like expectations but one of the better rock CDs released this year.  Recently, Jack filmed a documentary, "It Might Get Loud" with guitar legends, Jimmy Page and The Edge.  They discussed their craft, influences, and jammed together.  Any guy watching "Freedom At 21" will love the hottest female motorcycle cop ever and a prison full of voluptuous women.   Look for cameos by Frances Bean Cobain and at the end by Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age.  

"BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE"    TAMIA

Ironic that the song's title and my reaction is identical.  Tamia is back with a new single!   "Beautiful Surprise" is the title track from her new CD set to drop on Aug. 28, 2012.   I first heard her angelic voice on Quincy Jones' Jook Joint CD with "You Put A Move On My Heart".   Tamia looks gorgeous in this brand new breezy video.  Incidentally, that's her longtime husband, NBA's Grant Hill, who she's kissing at the end of the video.   I liked this video so much, I had to watch it back-to-back :)  

Prince Covered By Incubus, Alicia Keys, Foo Fighters, Darius Rucker, Jordan Knight

DAILY TRIVIA QUESTION:   What unique recording trick did Prince use on his Lovesexy CD?   Yesterday's Answer: Green Bay Packer's Aaron Rodgers

"LET'S GO CRAZY"     INCUBUS

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing we call life".   Couldn't believe Incubus tackled this iconic Prince jam but there they were performing the cover on Jimmy Fallon's show. Along with the The Roots, Brandon Boyd and the band tore into the Purple Rain classic for a raucous rock fest.  The studio version of this song will be released on Monuments & Melodies, the upcoming Incubus' 2CD Greatest Hits and Xtras.  

"HOW COME YOU DON'T CALL ME ANYMORE"  - ALICIA KEYS

From Alicia's debut CD, Songs In A Minor, comes her interpretation of the Prince piano ballad.   Talk about a life changing moment, Alicia was offered a contract with Columbia Records and accepted to Ivy League's Columbia University at the same time.  This song really showcases Alicia's classical piano training,  her incredible variety in her voice, and hints at her sexy, flirty side.   A faster remix with the Neptunes and Justin Timberlake was also released but this piano with vocal version is my favorite.

"DARLING NIKKI"  FOO FIGHTERS

Prince has gone public and said they should outlaw cover songs.  He said, "There's this thing called compulsory licensing law that allows artists through record companies to take your music at will without your permission.  That doesn't exist in ANY other art form....there's only version of Law & Order but many versions of Kiss and Purple Rain."  Prince especially dislikes the Foo Fighters cover of Darling Nikki.  During his Super Bowl Halftime Show, he covered "Best Of You" by the FF as a kind of retaliation.  What do you think about cover songs?   Personally I think, if done well, they only make you love the song that much more!

"I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN"  - JORDAN KNIGHT

New Kids On The Block's Jordan Knight covering Prince?  What?  Not only does he cover the song, he slows down the tempo, loses the killer guitar solo, but emphasizes the sensual lyrics.  It's probably the best solo song Jordan's ever done.  "I asked her if she wanted to dance and she said that all she wanted was a good man and wanted to know if I thought I was qualified" :)

"PURPLE RAIN" - DARIUS RUCKER 

I like the guy on YouTube's comment, "Holy crap, I wanted to hate this but I can't".   Darius (aka Hootie) changes the mood of the Prince song by bringing out the soulfulness of the lyrics.  As the song progresses, Darius gets more inspired by the message and you can feel how much he loves singing this song.  Darius used this song as his closing number when he opened for Brad Paisley's H2O Tour.

     

Usher Discograpy: Favorite Song On Each CD

2012  "NUMB"  from LOOKING 4 MYSELF

I just recently posted "Scream" and "Climax", probably the best dance floor and slow jams on the CD.   "Numb" was produced with Swedish House Mafia, a positive themed club hit about ignoring the pain and moving forward.   Should be another big hit!

2010 "MAKING LOVE (INTO THE NIGHT)"   from RAYMOND v. RAYMOND

The CD debuted at #1 and had the big hits OMG with Will.I.Am and More but then Usher released a Deluxe Edition that took the CD to another level.   There was the Justin Bieber duet, Someone To Love, and DJ Got Us Falling In Love, a #1 club hit with Pitbull. Within seconds of the needle drop, Usher's got you heading back to the dance floor.   Usher's reinvents a 70's ballad with "Making Love", should have been released as a single!   Trivia:   Who sung "Into The Night" in the late 70's?   Answer at the end of today's blog.

2008 - "THIS AIN'T SEX" from HERE I STAND

Must say, my least favorite Usher CD.   He was happily married with a new son and made a CD to reflect that mood.   Filled with too many sappy ballads, even the upbeat songs like "Love In The Club" were mellow.  "This Ain't Sex" has a great beat, Usher's dance moves are unworldly in this clip from the Victoria's Secret Fashion show.

2004 - "YEAH" & "MY BOO"  from CONFESSIONS

One of the best R&B CD's of the decade!    First you have Usher's crunk classic, "Yeah", featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon.   The slow jams "Burn" (dedicated to his ex, Chili from TLC), "Seduction", "Bad Girl", along with the title cut.  The CD touched on the controversy of Usher's faithfulness in his relationship. 

"My Boo" has special meaning for me and I love that Alicia Keys is on the song!!  "There's always that one person who will always have your heart"   The video opens with a clip of "Bad Girl" then segues into "My Boo".

2001 "U GOT IT BAD"  from 8701

Released on Aug. 7, 2001 (hence the CD title), Usher, inspired by his love of the Motown classics,enlisted a super team of producers including The Neptunes, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Babyface,.....   "Hottest Thing" and "Work It Out" are incredible hip hop songs.  But the slow, melodic beats and that hook on "U Got It Bad", produced by Jermaine Dupri,   is R&B perfection.    As the saying goes, this one is a "panty dropper".

1997 "NICE & SLOW and The Remix" from MY WAY

Under the direction of L.A. Reid, this was the CD that set Usher Raymond's career into the stratosphere.  "U Make Me Wanna", "My Way", "Slow Jam" with Monica, and "Nice & Slow" featuring Jagged Edge were all chart topping hits and a new R&B superstar to rival Michael Jackson's throne was born.    The original quiet storm classic video plus the remix with Chicago rapper, Twista, are here.

1994  "THE MANY WAYS"               from USHER

From small beginnings, Usher paid his dues.  His debut CD has no hits and topped out at #197 on the Billboard Top 200 CD list.   Yes, 197 out of 200 was its peak.   You could tell his voice hadn't matured and the material wasn't strong yet.  Not my favorite song but it's Usher's first video, so young, who knew how he'd explode into a superstar three years later!    Trivia answer:   Bennie Mardones

Michael Jackson Tribute: Alicia Keys, Teena Marie, Boys II Men, Chris Brown, The Game

"LOVERGIRL"                       TEENA MARIE

One of the hottest jams of the 80's!   R.I.P. Teena.    "Hook, Line, and Sinker baby, that's how you caught me", "I got a vibe on you the first time you saw through me", so many classic lines.   Teena is so sexy in this one, jamming on her guitar, classic 80's video!

"FEELING YOU, FEELING ME"             ALICIA KEYS

This is only 2:08 but it's Alicia at her best.    This song is an interlude on her 2003 CD, The Diary of Alicia Keys.   Sexy, passionate.... this needed to so much longer.     The music is hypnotic, soothing, orgasmic, best interlude ever?

"BETTER ON THE OTHER SIDE"     THE GAME, CHRIS BROWN, and BOYZ II MEN

"This the kind of song that make the angels cry
I look up in the sky ask God why?"


This one came out within a week of Michael Jackson's death in 2009.    The Game's tribute to Michael's life, music, and how much of an influence he had on all of us.   MJ rightfully holds the title, Kind Of Pop, for being the greatest entertainer in the last century.     Thriller = #1 selling CD,  MJ's videos = artwork, greatest ever, Concerts = groundbreaking in their creativity!