Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor

Alicia Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, made a significant impact upon its release in the summer of 2001, catapulting the young singer/songwriter to the front of the neo-soul pack. Critics and audiences were captivated by a 19-year-old singer whose taste and influences ran back further than her years, encompassing everything from Prince to smooth '70s soul, even a little Billie Holiday. In retrospect, it was the idea of Alicia Keys that was as attractive as the record, since soul fans were hungering for a singer/songwriter who seemed part of the tradition without being as spacy as Macy Gray or as hippie mystic as Erykah Badu while being more reliable than Lauryn Hill. Keys was all that, and she had style to spare -- elegant, sexy style accentuated by how she never oversang, giving the music a richer feel. It was rich enough to compensate for some thinness in the writing -- though it was a big hit, "Fallin'" doesn't have much body to it -- which is a testament to Keys' skills as a musician. And, the fact is, even though there are some slips in the writing, there aren't many, and the whole thing remains a startling assured, successful debut that deserved its immediate acclaim and is already aging nicely. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Acar S. Key Engineer Alicia Keys Vocals (Background), Instrumentation, Piano, Musician, String Arrangements, Arranger, Keyboards, Keyboard Concepts, Vocal Arrangement, Remix Producer, Producer, Remixing, Digital Programming, Vocals, Executive Producer Andricka Hall Vocals (Background) Anthony Nance Drum Programming Arty White Guitar Brian Cox Keyboards Brian Frye Engineer Brian McKnight Instrumentation, Musician, Producer Cato Guitar, Concept Chris Wood Engineer Cindy Mizelle Vocals (Background) Clive Davis Executive Producer Gerry "The Gov" Brown Engineer, Mixing Herb Powers Mastering Isaac Hayes String Arrangements, Flute Arrangement, Fender Rhodes Jermaine Dupri Producer John Peters Organ Kandi Producer, Arranger Kandi Burruss Producer, Vocals (Background), Arranger Kerry Brothers Production Concept, Producer, Drum Programming, Engineer, Digital Programming Manny Marroquin Mixing Mary Ann Souza Assistant Engineer, Assistant Norman Hedman Percussion Patti Wilson Stylist Paul Green Vocals (Background) Peter Edge Executive Producer Phil Tan Mixing Richie Goods Bass (Electric), Bass (Acoustic) Rick St. Hillaire Engineer Russell Elevado Mixing Russell Jackson Bass Tim Shider Bass, ? Tony Duran Photography Tony Maserati Mixing Victor Flowers Bass Yussi Allie Art Direction