With the music industry plunging into and subsequently drowning in a sea of synthesizers and dubstep beats, established artists are able to venture into previously uncharted territory. Even Alicia Keys, who has for the most part been absent from the recording studio since 2009, has fallen victim to a timid yet mostly effective attempt at a stylistic transition on her gripping, self-reflective fifth studio album Girl On Fire.
The album begins with “De Novo Adagio,” a haunting piano intro that seamlessly transforms into the opener, “Brand New Me.” This powerfully inspirational anthem of evolution and growing confidence mirrors the themes with building instrumentation; the first half has Keys crooning over soft piano chord progressions and subdued drum beats before the track bursts into a chorus lifted by Keys’ soul, strings, and a drum-pad crescendo.
These drums, along with other assorted electronic beeps and whistles, dominate the following “When It’s All Over,” an optimistic look at the conclusion of a relationship. “At least I got to love you,” Keys sings, before concluding the track with 45 seconds of babbling courtesy of her two-year-old Egypt. Despite such distractions, the display of vocal mastery does not lose its appeal.
Extreme attempts at stylistic reinvention which expand beyond the addition of electronic elements do manage to ruin a part of Girl On Fire. Nicki Minaj appears on the Inferno version of the title track, which otherwise would have been a phenomenal female empowerment ballad. Even with matching themes and experimentation on the LP, Minaj’s two verses come as a worrying and inappropriate shock that, at the very middle of the album, accomplishes nothing more to create an annoyance.
Though this growing instrumental and musical variety injects momentum which blends well with Keys’ traditional style, tracks featuring only Keys and her piano stand out as the most memorable works. “Not Even The King,” for instance, generates its beauty from the intimacy she creates with a slightly raspy voice, audible breaths, and command of octave climbs in the chorus superimposed on simple piano chords.
“I’ll never be perfect,” sings Keys on “Brand New Me.” Girl On Fire proves her wrong; if Nicki Minaj hadn’t made an appearance, Keys might have been rather close to perfection.
