Source: Alicia Keys
Vince Score – The Vince score consists of scoring based on the topics below.
Total points attainable: (100 pts)
- What’s the genre – Pop
- Are the arrangements interesting? – This is the first time since I’ve started doing album reviews that listening actually felt like a chore. This album is incredibly commercialized and almost difficult to listen to because of it. While some songs have interesting musical ideas, there wasn’t once I really went “oh that’s nice”. There are some decent ideas, but everything feels so watered down that even the interesting ideas feel very commercial. It’s actually somewhat strange because when I listened to Nas’s King’s Disease, although the beats were sampled and not incredibly strong, it didn’t feel like a chore to get through the album. This may be personal preference but most of this album feels incredibly soulless and easy. (9/20)
- Is the lyrical content compelling? – Lyrically, the album isn’t terrible, several songs have relatively compelling lyrics, there are some songs that aren’t very engaging but overall lyrically the lyrics aren’t terrible. (15/20)
- Vocal performance? – Alicia Keys is a good vocalist. She has some moments that feel as though she should shine, but quite frankly, it falls flat. (16/20)
- Musicality? – As I said before, there are interesting ideas and concepts in the album, but it feels like something is missing in almost every song. Honestly, in hindsight it almost feels as though the album was made to be as inoffensive as humanly possible. There was nothing innovative or impressive. As much as I complain about songs being “boring or “slow” in my other reviews, I had a hard time saying that I didn’t like them, because I could tell there was a lot of care and thought put into them. This album didn’t feel like it had a lot of care; it felt like an album of similar quality could be put together using apple loops from GarageBand and decent writing. (9/20)
- Standout tracks? – Perfect Way to Die. This is undoubtedly the best song in my opinion, as it was the only one that felt somewhat genuine. While the song is not musically dense or anything like that, it’s lyrics were very striking and was one of the only songs to make me really pay attention.
- Album low points? – I’m sure this is going to sound very strange to some people but I do not like Underdog. It’s message is good and honestly that’s kind of my problem with it. If there was a default “uplifting” song that would be it. While we certainly do need uplifting music in this turbulent year, this song feels like it was just made with no inspiration, love or care. In a way it feels as though it was put in just to ride the wave of uplifting music that people want to hear right now, and be good to put into advertisements. (10/20)
- Bonus – Would I add it to my playlist? No.
Additional notes – I know it seems that I’m saying that this album is trash, but by all means it isn’t a bad album, honestly the most accurate description is just good enough to not be bad. It feels like music for the sake of music, while lyrically it isn’t bad, I honestly just don’t care for it. It could be that I just don’t listen to Alicia Keys and this is just her style, but if it is then it isn’t a style that I’m a fan of.
Vince Score: 59
I didn’t really want to give this album a bad review, and there are several songs I wanted to like but I just couldn’t. I’m not even sure if this album is worth putting this much effort into, but as a musician and artist myself, I want to justify why I’m giving it a bad score by going through track by track.
Truth Without Love: I really wanted to like this, it has all the elements of a song that I should like, but it just falls flat, as if Alicia Keys tried to be Avant Garde, but even as a person that listens to very Avant Garde music, this was not executed to the best it could’ve in my opinion.
Time Machine: I also really wanted to like time machine, however it once again just doesn’t work for me. It sounds like she’s trying to get this new wave/Solange type sound, but it just doesn’t really work.
Authors of Forever: This sounds like she’s trying to sound like SZA. Particularly “All the Stars”
Wasted Energy: This sounds like she’s trying to go for a reggae type sound, but it feels watered down, and as a result, fake.
Underdog: I already said how I feel about underdog being the default inspiration song, it also sounds heavily inspired by Coldplay and Ed Sheeran (which makes sense as he helped write the song)
3 Hour Drive: I would want to like this, but it’s just very boring. I suppose Three Hour Drive is accurate as it feels like a song that you put on while driving, then forget you’re even listening to.
Me x7: I’m not sure if this is intentional or not, but this somewhat sounds reminiscent of Regina Spektor.
Show Me Love: This song is a pretty standard love song. Nothing particularly innovative or terrible
So Done: I actually should put this as a standout track, I actually didn’t particularly hate this song, but didn’t love it either.
Gramercy Park: sounds like John Mayer.
Love Looks Better: This song sounds incredibly familiar with a little Kanye influence thrown in.
You Save Me: This song is ok, I don’t have a very strong opinion on it honestly, it just sounds like… Alicia Keys.
Jill Scott: I was really looking forward to this song, but I was incredibly disappointed upon hearing it. It had potential but ends up feeling very weak and easy.
Perfect Way to Die: This was the only song I put under standout tracks, it isn’t super insane instrumental wise, but they lyrics are very striking.
Good Job: Good Job almost falls under the same territory of Underdog, but as much as I dislike feigned inspirational songs, I do think the message she’s conveying is one that is necessary.
Fans of hers will love this album, as it does sound adventurous, but this is my first foray into her music, and compared to my normal listening habits, It just doesn’t sound special to me.
