Clive Davis recognized the talent in this nineteen-year-old and let her run with it on his new label J Records. The result is one of the most unique, yet funky/R&B albums you could ask for. Did I mention brilliant? Keys has been playing piano since the age of five and wrote her first song when she was fourteen. Growing up in New York's inner city during the dominance of Biggie and Jay Z, she combines a rare mix of hip-hop flavor with intuitive songwriting.

Born and raised in Manhattan, this stunning young woman admits to a number of influences including her supportive mother who told her "You can quit anything else but you can never give up on your piano lessons." Pianist Alicia was classically trained for twelve years by the Suzuki method and has taken classical music one step further to funk and soul. The piano figures prominently on the album as Alicia accompanies herself and there's no doubt those lessons are paying off.

In addition to her instrumental training, she also mentions a teacher at the Professional Performance Arts School in Manhattan who spent a lot of time with her while she majored in choir. The teacher gave her valuable instruction on her voice and became the closest thing to a vocal coach she ever experienced. Did I mention her vocals on the album are amazing?

Collaborations with Jermaine Dupree on "Girlfriend" and Isaac Hays on "Rock Wit You" (for the Shaft soundtrack) don't hurt the album either. All the songs are awesome, including these. How many new artists have that kind of clout working beside them, not to mention the personal attention of Clive Davis who made stars of Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen and Santana to name a few? It's obvious Davis has hit pay dirt again! Propelled by the single, "Fallin' ," the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album Chart and held the top spot for three weeks.

A simple rendition of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" opens the album, with Keys speaking over it. Moving into percussion accompaniment and a beautiful voice backing the patter, "Piano & I" gets you hooked right from the get-go. It also shows her vocal range right away, since the backing vocal is Keys as well. This is true through most of the album, although there are a few songs where there are actual backup vocalists. This brief interlude of a song merely gives you a taste of what's to come.

"Girlfriend" is not only a very catchy song, it has some interesting lyrics to go with it. The track production on this song is unreal, since all the parts are performed by Keys except the male part. I think it's Jermaine Dupri, but the notes don't say who does the male part. It totally sounds like there are at least four females backing the main vocal though. Lyrics aren't included in the liner notes, but the song is about a girl jealous of her boyfriend's friend that's a girl.

The next song is a cover of "How Come You Don't Call" by Prince. According to Keys, Prince called her and said "When I heard you did the cover of my song, I though I had to call my lawyer." She said "Well, don't call your lawyer. Did you hear it before you called him?" to which he replied "No, actually I didn't hear it, but I hear it's pretty good." Prince invited Alicia to play at a festival he put together in Minneapolis and when she saw him he said, "By the way, I love your version of it." I've heard several people say it's an excellent version of the song and Prince should be happy she did the cover. I don't remember the Prince version, but it's a bluesy, funky song that you can really get into.

My absolute favorite song, like so many other people, is "Fallin'." I first saw it as a video on MTV in the middle of the night and bought the album the next day based on that one song. I guess a lot of other people did the same, although the first single from the album released to radio was actually "Girlfriend," featured briefly in the "Fallin' " video. Again Keys did all the arrangements and production, but on this particular tune there are back up singers that add a full sound and leave Keys with the freedom to do a lot of improvisation that comes across well. The instrumental accompaniment sounds familiar as a classical piece, but I can't place it. In the mean time, it's a truly soulful version and Keys belts out the vocal here. Alicia has said her favorite musical key is A Minor and it's more than evident here. I happened to see her play this song live on Oprah a few days ago and all that fantastic piano music is coming from Keys right along with the main vocal. This is a very awesome song!

"Troubles" is a ballad that again showcases Alicia's magnificent voice, while "Rock Wit U" has that funky sound a collaboration with Isaac Hays just has to have. Opening with a rather long instrumental, this song has a full band behind it, as well as the sound of a lot of backup vocalists, although it's all Alicia Keys. I want to say this sounds like a cover of a song from the '70s, but I think it's the name of the song and not the sound that makes me think that. It is one of the better songs on the album.

Next up is "A Woman's Worth," the song that is supposed to be the next single from the album and very close to Keys' heart. "It talks about how you're worth all the kindness a person can give you. Although the title is 'A Woman's Worth,' that sentiment goes for women and men. You don't have to be treated badly, but it's especially true for the women. You know a woman's worth if you're a real man." This song is more along the lines of a ballad as well - at least to start. It gets louder and stronger as the song progresses and the end of the verse that leads into the chorus is done very differently. It's something like rap, but sung instead of spoken. Great harmonies with herself and Paul Green round out the song.

The next track is my other favorite, "Jane Doe." This is a full on "don't mess with me or my man" song with a lot of power in it, even though the vocal isn't overly loud. It's got the kind of instrumentals that just won't let you sit still in your chair, and again the great production work is more than obvious. Harmonies with Kandi B really work here and it's just a cool song. "Goodbye" starts with soft piano and a soft vocal that becomes a very soulful ballad. The lyric "How do you find the words to say goodbye . . ." pretty much covers what's happening on this track. It's heart-felt and pretty, showing yet another side of Keys' vocal talent.

"The Life" has a very definite beat and instrumental intro with a live band this time. It's almost like a bosa nova beat and here Alicia's vocal is in a lower range than most of the other songs except in the backing vocal. There's a lot of digital sampling on this song as well. It's interesting and different enough to make you respect this lady's talent even more than you might up to this time. "Mr. Man" is a duet with Jimmy Cozier and is also far more beat driven than the rest of the album. It's certainly a number for dancin', movin' and groovin'. The harmonies are impressive and it's got some "oomph" in the melody.

"Never Felt This Way" is an "Interlude" written by Brian McKnight and sung very simply with only piano accompaniment. It immediately moves into "Butterflyz," a very soft, pretty song with only piano and a bit of acoustic guitar to accompany the vocal. Key's is very expressive and improvisational here, which makes it quite compelling. "Why Do I Feel So Bad" has a melancholy feel to it, but it's got a great hook in the melody. As the song progresses the instrumentals and vocals get louder and more full. Despite the subject matter, this song is very easy to like for all the elements presented. It's also in perfect placement near the end of the album, because by this time you've been all over the map with "Alicia Keys" and you're ready to go back for more.

The final LISTED song on the album is "Caged Bird," a classic and done beautifully here. It sounds like an old 78 rpm record (a little scratchy) and is done very simply with soft piano and a soft, meaningful vocal. I've heard this song done by many different singers and this version rates WAY up on the list. It's heartbreakingly beautiful. The real end of the album is a song called "Lovin U." It has an upbeat almost '60s "girl group" feel to it with prominent piano and a strong vocal. Keys' voice is up and down the scale and she ends the album on this powerful note.

If you even remotely like blues, R&B, soul, funk, classical or pretty much any other kind of music, GET THIS ALBUM! You won't be sorry. Watch for this young woman in the future. There's no hiding her talented light any more!