I am no authority but I knew the moment I heard Alicia Keys‘ first hit that hers was a voice and talent that would fill our ears and minds for the years to come.  Owe it only to Clive Davis, legendary music executive also known for the discovery of legendary artists like Lou Reed and Whitney Houston (to name a few), to be the person who would single out from the bunch one of the best female talents to emerge in the last decade.  Keys, who was 17 and just came out of high school by the time she single-handedly composed, arranged and performed the song Fallin’, had conquered the Billboards with her singles from the album Songs in A Minor. From then on, she was quickly thrust into the music elite especially after her (eventual) victory at the Grammys.  An accomplished pianist and an excellent singer, distinguishable by her soaring and occasionally vulnerable vibratos, her career took on both pop fanfare and critical acclaim.

She was certainly the most talented solo soul act that came out since, dare I say, Aretha Franklin.  The reason I brought up the comparison is because of Franklin herself, who at one point refused to perform with Alicia Keys at a MusiCares event in Los Angeles because she had apprehensions at the prospect of being upstaged by Alicia Keys and co-performer Mary J. Blige.  Why the diva, Aretha should be worried is indeed a mystery, but she must have her reasons.  And they may seem evident to you once you’ve seen Alicia Keys perform.

Her latest single “Empire State of Mind” which features Jay-Z was used as an anthem for this year’s New York Yankees victory.  When stripped of all its mainstream hype, the song is actually a poignant recollection of Key’s domicile, New York, that makes one wonder what her memories must have been. Although it gets cheesy toward the end, the emotion is still there and is especially crystallized in this stripped down version of the song:

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Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind Pt. 2 (Broken Down) [Download] [Lyrics]