Bob asked about Alicia Keys: > Is it strictly a physical thing, I > mean the fact that she's so easy on the eye?
Not to mention that she's biracial (recalls Mariah Carey's success), which can't hurt the crossover appeal. I'm sure she reads as "white" to some and "black" to others. Of course, unlike Mariah, Alicia uses strong black racial signifiers like those famous and fierce braids. > She can > sing great That's actually what mystifies me the most--her voice sounds pretty pedestrian to me. Her tone sounds like any anonymous black girl in church. The way Mary rasps and Erykah flattens her tongue against the roof of her mouth--these create distinctive voices. But I don't hear it with Alicia. And yes, the songs are derivative at best, boring at worst. All the hard-core music fans I know are mystified by her success, but the homebound 40-something white suburban soccer moms in my office go crazy for her. Even *with* the braids (and the profanity). She's touching some kind of nerve I just don't get. As boring as I find her, I find the phenomenon of her success fascinating, since I don't even feel like she's been marketed *that* aggressively. Weird. So you've found Yahzarah!! I'm so glad--she's a trip! Very much in the Erykah/Jill boho bougie black soul vein, but with her own take. I dig her. And that voice!! Also peep the Jill Scott live album. It is fiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeerce!! One of the best live albums I've heard, and better than her studio work, IMO. Complete reworkings of most tunes, and some hellfunny between-song dialogue. She just keeps getting more charismatic. Even better: the second disc includes a great house remix of "He Loves Me" that's been spinning in the more stylish clubs lately as a hidden track. Not quite the same as hearing it with a club sound system, but great to have on hand. And to save a post: Bree, glad you got the PJ. I understand it's not your cup. But I was a little confused by your statement tat you like "more melodic" music--the hooky melodies are one of my favorite parts. Listen to "This Mess We're In" with Thom Yorke on headphones a few times. Sweeping, dramatic melodies. But mostly, thanks for giving it a chance!! --Michael NP: Four Tops, "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I Got)" ===== ____________________________________________________ "I'm just a little bit heiress, a little bit Irish, A little bit Tower of Pisa whenever I see ya, So please be kind if I'm a mess." --Rufus Wainwright, "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com
