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Alicia Keys - 'Like You'll Never See Me Again'
Has anyone else noticed the distinct similarity between Alicia Key’s latest album cover and that of Leona Lewis’s debut? They’re so eerily similar I’ve mistaken one for the other on several occasions now. Perhaps this is a conspiracy! They are the same person! I always thought it was funny how one’s name was an anagram of the other’s! Except that isn’t actually true, is it? And if anything, it’s probably just laziness on the part of whichever artist directors were responsible for their album cover shoots. Maybe even the same person did both. In which case never mind, eh?
I realise that opening paragraph was rambling, but in my defence, I find it a struggle to find anything all that interesting to say about Alicia Keys or her music. I’ve never been that convinced by her. Obviously I believe that she exists, but I’ve never been sold on her as a concept. For all the fanfare and flag-waving, I tend to find her songs a little on the hollow side - dressed up nice and pretty, but with next to nothing on the inside - and this one really hasn’t made me think otherwise.
She has a knack of crafting a very pleasant sounding melody, don’t get me wrong - the backing here is an acoustic waterwheel that trickles gently and inoffensively through your head. And the layered, gospelly harmonies at the end are well-deployed. The problem is that I feel like I’ve heard this all before, albeit in a slightly different shape. Structurally, it doesn’t even feel that different from ‘Fallin’’, and I can’t help thinking we should’ve moved further than that over the past six-and-a-bit years.
Even lyrically, this is basically just a rewrite of ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’. And again, there’s nothing wrong with revisiting an old theme (most great pop songs are triumphs of repurposing anyway, the Sugababes’ ‘Freak Like Me’ being an excellent case in point), but it doesn’t feel like much thought’s gone into it here, beyond "ooh, that'll sound good". The tired old cliché “the present is a gift” gets woven into the bridge disguised as a clever play-on-words, but fails to make any real impact.
I think, to be honest, this song will stand or fall entirely based on how you feel about Alicia Keys (and again, that’s true of pretty much every song and specific artist ever, but I think it really is especially relevant here). If you’ve got even a passing interest in her work, you’ll probably find this quite haunting, even moving. If, like me, she’s a construction that’s never really worked for you musically, this is likely to leave you cold. Which is how I felt about it - as pretty as it may be, there’s just very little within that stands up by itself.
Download: Out now
CD Released: February 25th
www.aliciakeys.com
www.myspace.com/aliciakeys
(Steve Perkins)
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Comments
Has anyone else noticed the distinct similarity between Alicia Key’s latest album cover, Delta Goodrems latest album cover, and that of Leona Lewis’s debut???
I think this rating is, to be frank, unjustified. Alicia Keys has something that not all singers do have, no not just talent, she has true emotion and it comes through in her music, Like You'll Never See Me Again is prime example of this. I think Alicia Keys has not been as sucsessful in the Uk as in somewhere like the US because we, UK, dont think about the effort or the lyrics, the true passion that goes into a song and the talent that a song-writer like Alicia Keys (or even someone like Amerie) has to write a whole, complete, album. This point was also made by Jamelia (just FYI).
But in all its a great song with As I Am's trademark beats. I would, personally, give this song at least 4/5 stars.
I think your just a white Man who doesn't like black women!!!
[Apart from Keisha Sugababe, you mean? It's not racist not to enjoy the music of Alicia Keys, silly. She has just as much right to release records which Steve does not like as any white performer, surely? Don't restrict her options! - Fraser]
I know its a bit of a deviation from the similarities between the album covers, but i personally can't stand Leona, and think Alicia Keys is amazing, totally agree with Carlton, and everytime i hear Alicia Keys, i point out to my sis who is a Leona fan that Alicia's is the kinda voice Leona should be aimin for. should deffo have given that song waaay more stars, but i dont think ur racist!