Alicia Keys... she's a soul singer, songwriter, musician, composer, pianist, and she's absolutely beautiful. If I were her I wouldn't be too impressed with the interpretations of her songs on this tribute.
The String Quartet:
They aren't even acoustic instruments. At least that's what it sounds like: a midi-recording. When I purchased this album upon release, I was excited because I'm a violinist and I was looking for non-classical string music and hoping that violins were making more of a show in mainstream music. However, when I played the album and and it immediately jumped right into the first song, I was a little taken aback by a) the suddenness and b) robotic feel to the music.
Musicality:
...or should I say lack of? Alicia Keys' music has so much emotion put into it, I was disappointed at the steady, simple performance of her songs in this tribute album. She's an R&B and soul singer, her music overflows with feelings! But here, lack of good, contrasting dynamics, not much vibrato, and it feels as if there's no connection between the musicians/instruments. Music is another language, a way of communicating; it seems as if these musicians haven't fully understood Alicia Keys' musical language.
For the regular Alicia Keys' listener, her songs revolve around the piano, her main instrument, and her amazing, powerful voice. A violin can provide a soft, elegant touch to music, but it just doesn't cut it in this album. The original "If I Ain't Got You" is such a sweet, beautiful song, but the tribute does not compare. The famous opening of the song with the triplets outlining chords are supposed to be soft and calming, yet the violin strikes the chords and accents downbeats here and there making it sound harsh and awkward.
The String Quartet:
They aren't even acoustic instruments. At least that's what it sounds like: a midi-recording. When I purchased this album upon release, I was excited because I'm a violinist and I was looking for non-classical string music and hoping that violins were making more of a show in mainstream music. However, when I played the album and and it immediately jumped right into the first song, I was a little taken aback by a) the suddenness and b) robotic feel to the music.
Musicality:
...or should I say lack of? Alicia Keys' music has so much emotion put into it, I was disappointed at the steady, simple performance of her songs in this tribute album. She's an R&B and soul singer, her music overflows with feelings! But here, lack of good, contrasting dynamics, not much vibrato, and it feels as if there's no connection between the musicians/instruments. Music is another language, a way of communicating; it seems as if these musicians haven't fully understood Alicia Keys' musical language.
For the regular Alicia Keys' listener, her songs revolve around the piano, her main instrument, and her amazing, powerful voice. A violin can provide a soft, elegant touch to music, but it just doesn't cut it in this album. The original "If I Ain't Got You" is such a sweet, beautiful song, but the tribute does not compare. The famous opening of the song with the triplets outlining chords are supposed to be soft and calming, yet the violin strikes the chords and accents downbeats here and there making it sound harsh and awkward.
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