Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind (Part II)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMS5xQ_V0TQ

Awesome! Thats All!

Saw her on Jonathan Ross last week or the week before. She is gorgeous 8)

This is the one – performed live…

Wow and lush and Wow again..!

Is it just me? Dreadful warbling.

TJ, you may be outnumbered on this thread!!

Fallin

and I still love this.

so it's just me that thinks she shouts instead of singing then? i really don't get her at all.

Is there an official term for allergy to dreadful wobblygob ballads? Because (like TJ I suspect) I've got it.

Autotuneitis maybe?

Christ that's bad!!

Better version

Coming from someone who isn't into Soul/R&B at all… She is awesome!

And she's hot.

Check out Smokin Aces[/url] in which she makes her acting debut… She's pretty good too!

I'm a fan – bought 4 of her albums in the last couple of weeks. But I can understand why her voice is not to everyone's taste.

Quite like this one -with the guy from Maroon 5 or so I have read

Alicia Keys – Wild Horses

Listened to all the links on this thred. Very poor IMo – its all about giving that "virtuoso" performance not actually letting the song and her voice stand on their own. Why sing when you can warble with unneeded vibrato. And she misses some notes and her phrasing is awful

Sorry – I like a bit of soul and female vocals but thats mince

TJ – you know i love you but even i have to say you are incorrect.

You cannot criticise a singers phrasing and notes when she wrote the song…. she is pretty far from doing virtuoso style stuff and that's why people like her.

TBC- did you not know Tj knows everything…he's the STW soothsayer and definitive wealth of knowledge ……just sometimes he talks out of his butt though,

TJ – how about this fine woman then. First one I picked from youtube from Erykah Badu.

Erykah Badu and Stephen Marley

Why all that vibrato and warbling then? I can think of loads of better female vocalists.

You can think of loads you 'prefer'. Not better per se.

Fair enough TBC – Too much flashy technique IMO

All music is a matter of opinion. I mean people still listen to hair metal FFS

You set me off looking for my favorite female vocalists now

How about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od-Hsm6Ey2M now thats soulful.
Or anything by the incomparable Skye Edwards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwuuuaKlXJ4 for example
Or Joyce – exiled for singing this feminist anthem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC8TO8Vg7D4
Tracy chapman? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZbvi6Tj6E

Checked them all out TJ and to be frank, you're wrong. Alicia Keys is fitter than all of them 😆

Seriously tho', that Jhelisa track is a bit Marmite. I don't know if it was my laptop speakers but it sounded like a tape that was getting chewed up

Liked the Jay Z one but this is gash imo.

Judge the singing. None of the ones I picked are stunners- mind you I don't think much of keys looks either. Ok I suppose but a studmuffin like me should be able to do better.

I'm listening to the Keys link on the other thread. Its fine. Just not that amazing to me. I find the style irritating. to many vocal tricks. sometimes less is more.

That Jhelisa album is something else tho – you should give it a listen Language electric. fantastic.

for once, I agree with TJ 😀

Sounds characterless to me. Is she real or a computer generated popstar singing a computer generated popsong?

[sorry fans, 'spect you'd hate my favourites]

absolute crap….

Songs in A Minor is a good album, but Empire State of mind Pt11, I've heard too much now.

Sounds characterless to me. Is she real or a computer generated popstar singing a computer generated popsong?

LOL

Nothing wrong with computers!

That said Alicia Keys writes, plays many instruments, sings and I think even produces her own music. She is a talent not manufactured tripe for sure…

songs in A minor was full of rip offs imo

fallin is a straight rip off from Mans Mans World by james brown for example

…. still would tho

Yet again TJ and I find something to disagree about.

Nothing wrong with a bit of instrumental technique whether its voice guitar etc. although its no substitute for melody- and in Alicia Keys case that's clearly not the case.

Although I like a lot of what Sky Edwards did with Morcheeba and her solo stuff (I have her Mind How you Go Album) her voice although pleasant is hardly incomparable, quite limited range and her habit of singing in an estuary English accent annoys me.

Nowt wrong with a bit of technique for sure but all the time? Less is more sometimes.

Skye Edwards voice is loads better. Just incomparable. Keys is all technique and no soul. Keys is a competent pop singer. Reminds me of Mariah Carey and barbera streisand and I was impressed with her piano playing on the bbc link on another thread .

Nothing amazing tho – many better singers out there.