Alica Keys' is the sexy Aquarian that won five Grammy's for this her debut album for a reason, she is that good! Take a piece of Roberta Flack, Al Green, & Stevie Wonder pour into a twenty first century Motown gal & you'll have Alicia Keys'. Rich soulful vocals, warm melodies & catchy lyrics that make this album a winner. Since she is classically trained it is clear after only one listening that her timing is perfect.

There are sixteen tracks including two remakes, "Someday We'll Be Free & Prince's How Come You Don't Call Me." These two were fine but I like her tunes far more. They range from slow, midtempo, to fast. "Fallin," is hands down the best song on the album & for me the best ballad since the Rolling Stones "Almost Here You Cry" from 1989's "Steel Wheels" album. "Fallin" should have been the number one song of 2001, not Christina Aguilera's screaming tune. "Fallin" has an Acapella intro & the violin of Miri Ben Ari that comes in with a smooth feeling. "A Womans Worth," has a satiny flow of lyrics as she tells her guy about her fine qualities & how she deserves to be treated. Then how she will reciprocate because he is worth it. "Butterflz," a fine tune with a jazzy piano & flowing lyrics. "Never Felt This Way," has classic piano sounds & lyrics describing a first love.

Other good tunes are "The Life," its catchy lyrics & an alluring melody give it a sensual 1960's soulful vibe. "Rock Wit You," is a funky song with a rich vocal delivery. "Girlfriend," has a rocking instrumental intro that was a pleasant surprise. With this album you will never have to hit the skip button. I love Alicia Keys' unique approach & the way she can immerse herself into the songs, whether they are her own or remakes. Lastly, she is the best new artist since the Police's first album came out in the late 1970's.

I have been waiting for Alicia Keys to release an album now since the Men in Black soundtrack came out. With the release of "Songs in A Minor", I can see that all that time spent waiting was definitely worth it. While all of the songs are beautifully crafted, standout tracks are the first single "Fallin'", "The Life" Caged Bird" "Rock Wit U" and a cover of Prince's b side "how Come You Don't Call Me." Alicia has a style all her own, and it truly sets her apart from all the other current R&B divas. It will also keep her from being just a one hit wonder or a flavor of the month. Classically trained, her piano playing and her touching lyrics can ignite. Hers is a talent which is very rare these days in our younger performers. She will have a career that stands the test of time like superstar rock diva Tina Turner, or Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. All of her talents, coupled with the fact that she is beautiful to boot, will help to make Alicia Keys the star she is destined to be. A young woman that writes her own music, thinks for herself, is well spoken and gorgeous...THAT my friends, is the very definition of 'Bootylicious!'

Alicia Keys. What's there to say about this bright and coming star? She's a talented young artist with a debut praise worthy of the highest order, but is she really destined to be the next Stevie Wonder? She's an impressive new artist, I give her that, who is climbing up the charts, but can she really flourish and grow to become a legend? I'm not so sure about that. I think the critics have overhyped Alicia too much just because she plays an instrument; the end result being the cause of many bad reviews by superficial listeners. They were expecting too much, I think, from this album. Her vocal ability is a tad strained as she struggles to reach those higher notes, and her finesse at the piano is somewhat drowned by the heavy hip-hop beats. But despite these minor flaws, (which I believe she will fix through time) she'll probably recieve a Grammy or two for her efforts. And I hope she does. Craig David, Alicia Keys, and Sade have given me new hope to the refacing of R&B. This is soul with real power. It's plain and simple, really. I enjoyed this album thoroughly. One thing I like most of all is that it provides the listener with many different flavors. Her influence of jazz and blues are especially evident in songs like Rock Wit U and the bonus track. And though the continuous vibe of this album is mostly uptempo, Butterflyz and Caged Bird slow things down to make the overall mood just perfect for candlelight dinners, per say. Classical is also in her veins as it opens up with a modern-tripped Beethoven on Piano & I. It then goes into the apparent second single, Girlfriend. Fallin' of course is one of the highlights, but my favorite would have to be her duet with Jimmy Cozier on Mr. Mann.

Honestly, there's little wrong with Songs In A Minor. It looks to be a promising start, and I expect to hear even better things come from Ms. Alicia Keys as she evolves with age and experience.

You must all know how hard it is for me to write this. I am 31 and I am not at all happy with the popular music scene today (not that there is a real "scene"). With all the hype surrounding this album, and from what little I had heard from it, I was dead set against listening to it--let alone liking it. The other thing you must know is that my favorite singer/songwriter is Laura Nyro, who could pound a piano and sing her guts out more than anyone in popular music history (this side of Aretha Franklin, that is, but you can't really compare anyone with Aretha). So I figured why should I even bother, because no one can touch Laura Nyro (or Aretha). But I gave in and finally gave this a try.

But to my surprise--and here's the hard part--this isn't bad! It didn't make me a fan of hip-hop or modern R&B (though it made me a bit more tolerant of it). But in light of the current standards in pop music today, it is impressive. But, honestly, I can't imagine why anyone with a background in real soul and R&B would need this (sorry, but "real" means those introduced prior to the 1980s). It's nothing special, but I can see why young folks like it. It takes some of the elements that made 70s soul distinctive and sets them to an (annoying) synthesized drum beat--and therein lies the album's biggest downfall. The other thing that sinks the album is the typical "uh, uh" grunting and the unnecessary (and pretentious) "street" talk thrown in seemingly without reason other than to appeal to young listeners (who are certainly the targeted audience). Her vocal range is limited, with her high notes too strained--but this isn't an issue with me because I understand soul music, and it's not about perfection.

Another quibble is the liner notes. Again, she gets all ghetto in her thank you's ("be" is always spelled "B"). Plus, the liner notes point out more than once that "all songs written and arranged by Alicia Keys", though only 6 of the 15 tracks were credited exclusively to her as the songwriter (did it really take three people to write "Rock Wit You"???).

As for the tracks, the faux ghetto talk on the opening track is not a good start. "Rock Wit You" is a decent track, but that's only because Isaac Hayes recycled his 70s sound (e.g. "Shaft"). Like that track, "The Life" is about as 70s as you can get today, with the drum beat more in the background, which makes it more listenable. The minor chords on "Butterflyz" makes it immediately sorrowful and appealing, and is easily the best track on the album (and it seems free of drum programming and electronics, which is a huge plus). "Never Felt This Way" and "Caged Bird" are nice, with their spare piano and vocal arrangements. "Lovin U" is very Jackson-5-esque. "Fallin'" is okay, and unlike most people on here, I was fairly new to the song because I don't listen to the radio. All the other tracks are too over-produced. The album gets better as it goes along, which is unusual.

The whole album would benefit greatly from a percussionist. That alone would earn this an extra star in my book. I swear, I'll never understand the appeal of synethisized drum beats. It truly boggles my mind why it has become the norm today!

Also, I saw her perform on TV, and she certainly knows her way around the piano. This album definitely does not reflect that. She needs to get a drummer, throw out the forced street talk, and just rip it up with a band in the studio. Once she grows into herself, she might prove to be very interesting.

When first hearing, "Fallin", I knew this artist had talent. But after finding out that she had studied piano for 7 years, I knew that she had true talent. "songs in A minor" is a must have. These days it is hard to find an artist who writes, produces, sings and even plays an instrument on their debut album. The entire album is pure listening enjoyment. Her piano skills alone would catch anyone's attention who enjoys classical piano but then to add her melodic, soulful voice enhances the album by far. I found that the intro, "Piano & I" was truly amazing. The archaic tones of original classical music flipped into a new school beat was brilliant. Track 2 entitled, "Girlfriend" will have your head bobbin' and your feet tappin'. Not only can you feel the groove with "Girlfriend", you can also relate to what she is saying. Track 11 entitled, "Mr. Man" feat. Jimmy Cozier provides a 20th century blues feel. My favorite tracks which are tracks 12, "Never Felt This Way"(which happens to be an interlude) and track 13, "Butterflyz" are not only well written but performed beautifully. In these songs, her voice reflects tones of Mariah Carey and Tina Marie. If you enjoy either of these artists, you will definitely enjoy, "Never Felt This Way." This album not only reflects her writing skills but the skills of well known artists/producers such as Jermaine Dupri, Kandi Burruss and Brian McKnight just to name a few. Overall, this album is a classic. This girl has real talent, she's not one of these bubble gum artists who made it because of her looks. It may have taken her a couple of years to cop a deal from a major label, but she made it because she displays not only vocal abilities but instrumental abilities as well. If you like the original R&B music of the 80's and 90's with a twist of new age hip hop, you definitely need to get, "songs in A minor."