Alicia Keys
WHEN ALICIA Keys strutted on to the stage at the Cinnamon Hill golf course, Rose Hall, Montego Bay, on Saturday night, the screams which ricocheted around the natural amphitheatre could have awakened the dead. If they did, they made no complaints as maybe they too succumbed to the wonderful stylings of the soulful R&B singer. Saturday was the third night of the four-day 'Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival'. Keys came to the stage just close to midnight and there seemed to be at least two people for every blade of grass in the venue. Screams and wolf calls greeted her entrance. All her 'hype man's' efforts were almost in vain as the audience was more than ready and willing to cheer to their hearts content.
"Right now is our birthday I want you to know," she told the excited audience. From there she invited them on a ride, and they went willingly.
Before the end of her first song, she dragged the microphone stand out of the way, because there was no place for it in her energetic performance. She delivered a blend of songs from her five Grammy Award-winning album Songs in A Minor and her new album Diary of Alicia Keys. When she launched into the saucy Heartburn, which was accompanied by a titillating little dance with her female back-up singers, the audience went into overdrive. The wolf calls got louder and the excitement only grew from there.
Expertly she urged the crowd on to scream even louder. Whether she sat in front of the keyboards or danced and strutted as she sang, she delivered a quality, well-timed performance. She was a great blend of sexy longing and urgency as the different songs required.
She announced that it was then time for a 'back to the future' song before starting the If I Was Your Woman/ Walk On By which echoes the soul music of the Motown era. From there she made the perfect segue into A Woman's Worth. Both songs highlight the similar feel of Songs in A Minor and Diary of Alicia Keys and so blended perfectly together.
Her music is great because it combines good musicianship, lyrics and style. She is as much an accomplished pianist as she is a song stylist. When all three are combined in a well choreographed live performance, as Saturday night showed, the effect is magnificent. She tended to respond to the audience at all the right times. "What I wanna do right now_" she started, attempting to introduce another of her new songs. But before she could finish a man called back "Do it for me baby."
"Oh I will baby," she answered back sweetly.
It was then, that her showmanship came into full effect. The crowd went wild as she sang You Don't Know My Name, a song which reeks of such helpless longing. When she got to the bridge, the audience was talking along with her, word for word. However, they were in for a surprise. 'Michael' the object of her desire in the peace was in the house, or rather a representative of his. When she said, "What you're here right now," the crowd erupted once again as the consistently black clad Bounty Killer made his way to the stage. Somehow, the crowd managed to scream even louder for this cameo. The Killer, wished her a happy birthday, sampled a few of his songs and then was on his way. As though that were not enough, just as the crowd was settling down once more, it was Sean Paul's turn to show up on the stage. After leading the crowd in a Miss Lou style version of the birthday song, he presented her with a cake and flowers.
It was then time to take the performance to its logical (though unwelcome end). Keys ended her performance with an interpretation of Bob Marley's Redemption Song and War. In singing these, she showed her true skills as a stylist. While the songs lost nothing of their poignant nature, they were made distinctively her own.
The response to the performance was adequately summed up by one man, who simply said when she ended, "Yeah baby."
