Track Listing

1. Harlem’s Nocturne
2. Karma
3. Heartburn
4. If I Was Your Woman/Walk On By
5. You Don’t Know My Name
6. If I Ain’t Got You
7. Diary (feat. Tony! Toni! Toné!)
8. Dragon Days
9. Wake Up
10. So Simple
11. When You Really Love Someone
12. Feeling U, Feeling Me (Interlude)
13. Slow Down
14. Samsonite Man
15. Nobody Not Really (Interlude)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18373 in Music
• Released on: 2003-12-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Whereas Alicia Keys's debut was in essence a musical overview that recorded snapshots of her life over the five years it took to complete, her follow up, The Diary Of…, is the scribbled footnotes of the very busy two years since. She's certainly kept tabs on what's been going on--the old-skool R&B influences so evident on her debut have become overshadowed by the kind of people she previously stood apart from.

Witness "Karma"; with its harsh beats, undulating background string section and funky, slightly dirty groove, it could easily be a Justin Timberlake song, as could the Timberland-produced "Heartburn". She plays it safe on "If I Ain't Got You" and "Diary" though, and there is still much to enjoy that can directly be attributed to her oft-mentioned classical training and childhood influences.

It's also easy to forget what an amazing voice she has, best demonstrated here on "If I Was Your Woman". And for all her fancy ivory work, remember that it was the simplicity of "Falling's" descending piano line that sent her career into the ionosphere. There is nothing like that here, just the painful noise of Nas and Rankin contributing to "Streets Of New York".

The Diary Of… is neither one thing nor the other. A curious mix of slick modern R&B tinged with influences from the past (often sampled ones) and her own more traditionally arranged soul. If she'd put all her energy into completely modernising her sound then she could easily rival Beyoncé. Instead she's imitated the past and copied the present--if she'd looked to the future then perhaps her true talent could have been fully realised. --Cortman Virtue

CD Description
Second album from jazz and classical influenced RnB diva and pianist follows 2001's 'Songs In A Minor'. Billed as a more mature work charting her progression into womanhood, the album's lyrical content encompasses love, relationships and political issues. Produced by Keys herself with the cream of America's hip hop talent, it features guest vocals from rappers Nas and Rakim and includes the single 'You Don't Know MyName'.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding
I bought this album when it was first released and have yet to come across another "rnb" album - if we can call it that - of its calibre. Many albums can you get excited, or make you sad - but this inspires feelings of another era altogether. The album has a kinda Jackie Brown/The Delfonics vibe to it. Some tracks like Nobody Not Really are perfect for jumpin into your time machine and hailing a new york yellow cab in the 70s in the pouring rain and watching the bright lights through the pasenger window. Not that you do that, but thats the vibe almost!

Simply brilliant.

No Songs In A Minor....
Yes she is in touch with the classics, and yes she is in touch with the street.

It's a rare thing, and it still comes out in her music - the frantic violins of 'Karma', the piano arpeggios of Harlem's Nocturne' and the dreamy, filmic theme of 'Nobody Not Really'.

She is also in touch with the classics of soul, so there is more than a hint of Stevie Wonder to her writing.

If anything, 'The Diary Of..' is a little bit more knowing about urban styles than the breathtaking debut 'Songs In A Minor'. There is more of a hip-hop undercurrent, and there's more work for your sub-woofers to do.

It's in the shadow of it's predecessor, the 5-star debut 'Songs In A Minor', in my humble opinion, but it's still a 4-star wonder, which makes you hope that Keys will not be squeezed into the destiny of just another hip hop soul singer in a crowded marketplace.

Great voice, great pianist, great album. Great!

Never knew music could be this good, better than the first
Usually I judge albums on the number of good tracks. This album is a complete body of work by itself. I bought this CD on the strength of "You don't know my name". I was not dissappointed. This album did not need several plays to get into I fell in love with it on first play. I sat at home on Sunday night just listening to it. This is the type of album you will want to listen to at home, by yourself lying on the sofa, phone off, candles lit. The tracks are mellow, romantic and make you want to fall in love. This is real music for the soul