グラミー15冠の歌姫=アリシア・キーズ 約3年半ぶり通算7作目の新作アルバム『アリシア』

2001年のデビュー以来、リリースしたアルバム7作中5作が全米1位を獲得。グラミー15冠&トータル・アルバム・セールス4,000万枚の輝かしい功績を残し続けているアリシア・キーズ。第61回、第62回と、二年連続でグラミー賞授賞式の司会を務めた彼女が、約3年半ぶりとなる通算7作目のオリジナル・アルバム『アリシア』をリリースする。今年1月にリリースしたシングル「アンダードッグ」はエド・シーラン、ジョニー・マックデイドとの共作曲。困難に直面しながらも夢へ向けて前へ進もうとする、ありとあらゆる"アンダードッグ(挑戦者)"を、「やりたいことを続ければ、きっと報われる日が来る」と、奮い立たせる、エモーショナル且つポップな応援賛歌に仕上がっている。

アルバムには2019年9月にリリースされた「ショウ・ミー・ラヴ feat. ミゲル」、11月にリリースされた「タイム・マシーン」も収録される。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2020/09/16）

The planned March 2020 release date of Alicia Keys seventh studio album fell between the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Keys -- who also performed her new single, the strum-and-clap pop anthem Underdog -- and the publish date of her memoir More Myself: A Journey. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LP was pushed back to May, and ultimately to September, synchronized with Keys appearances at the 2020 NFL kickoff concert and the iHeart Radio Music Festival. The previous iHeart event was where Keys first performed its lead single, the warm Miguel duet Show Me Love -- probably the first song to use the deer in the headlights idiom to describe a lustful embrace rather than, say, accidental instant death -- so the albums setup lasted a full year. Five other songs from Alicia were issued during this time. That they account for most of the highlights makes the albums arrival somewhat anticlimactic. Time Machine, built on a sliding groove with what Alexander ONeal would call nasty bass, is one of Keys funkiest and spaciest songs, unlike anything else she has recorded, with some clever likeness to Solanges Cranes in the Sky. Keys and Khalid make an ideal pair on So Done, another soft, intimate love ballad. Also released earlier were the albums two closing songs, a mothers anguished response to the murder of her son, and an empathic offering of gratitude and consolation for those who take care of one another. Theyre the most affecting moments here. The previously unheard material similarly mixes expressions of togetherness and positive self-reflection, as well as conflicted and contented intimacy. Its just as wavering in quality, from 3 Hour Drive, a pulsing Sampha collaboration, to Me x 7, which would be a damp squib without Tierra Whack. Even with the R&B-leaning roster of guests -- Jill Scott and Snoh Aalegra are also on board -- Alicia is Keys most moderate work, seemingly hedged with an objective to appeal to as many listeners as possible. Theres at least no doubting the artists intent to heal and uplift, and she puts it across with some of her most nuanced vocals. ~ Andy Kellman

Rovi