Alicia's Keys to Hit Records: Authenticity and Range

Nov. 12, 2007 — -- This week, Alicia Keys releases her third studio album and fourth release, "As I Am." The single "No One" is already topping many of Billboard's R&B charts and she's set to do what many of her peers have failed to do — put out her fourth blockbuster album in a row.

What makes her so special? What does she have that other artists don't? Her strength is her range. In the often fickle world of modern hip-hop and R&B, she's really a perfect storm of a performer.

From the start, Keys set the bar quite high. She was Clive Davis' first real protege on his label J Records after he left Arista, when out of the blue she debuted at No. 1 with "Songs in A Minor" in 2001.

Her hit song "Fallin'" became not only her signature, but a modern R&B standard. "Songs in A Minor" also contained "Girlfriend," a rough and rugged hip-hop jam built around an Ol' Dirty Bastard sample. Co-produced by Keys and Jermaine Dupri, the track recalled the energy of Michael Jackson in his prime. It was the kind of song you'd expect to hear blasting equally from summertime pool parties and from passing minivans. It was the kind of song R&B radio doesn't really produce anymore.

Elsewhere on her debut, she proved she could make Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me" sound like something fresh and new, while adding her own dose of gospelesque inflection and rhythmic piano work, and on "Rock Wit You," she was able to effectively groove along to a very "Shaft"-like orchestral arrangement provided by Isaac Hayes.

In 2003, "The Diary of Alicia Keys" showed her depth even more. With the help of Kanye West's dynamic Motown-flavored production, she created her own old-fashioned classic with "You Don't Know My Name." The track's vintage vibe was purely cemented by the "oohs" and "ahhs" of a background choir that included John Legend among others, and by Keys' spoken-word bridge.

Also on that record was "If I Ain't Got You," a stunner of a ballad on which Keys' sound and vocal inflection recalled another one of Davis' famous proteges: Whitney Houston.