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December 18, 2008
It's no wonder endless Idol wannabes bust out Alicia Keys tunes. She is this decade's benchmark for soul music, the real thing in an era of manufactured mimers.
This is her first Australian tour in four years but, on the evidence of last night, it won't be surprising if she is still touring to packed houses in 20 or 30 years.
Keys is days away from the end of her year-long As I Am world tour, but there were no signs of fatigue at last night's Rod Laver Arena show. Her last visit was a theatre tour; this one raises the stakes while keeping the musical intimacy. ...
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December 17, 2008
Nielsen has issued a year-end look at the most popular trends among Americans during 2008, covering everything from the top TV programs to the most popular consumer packaged goods. 'As I Am' was the top selling album of 2008, according to Billboard and Nielsen. Keys also had the most listened-to radio song of the year, 'No One' which drew 3.08 billion radio listeners between November 12, 2007 through November 16, 2008. ...
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December 15, 2008
Few recording artists today have the incredible staying and selling power of soul singer Alicia Keys.
The 11-time Grammy winner is still filling stadiums and selling millions of albums worldwide, having burst onto the scene in 2001.
Her performance at Sydney's Acer Arena on Friday night showed why.
Four years on from her first Australian tour, Keys returned to promote her third album, As I Am, and didn't travel lightly - bringing with her a seven-piece band of multi-instrumentalists plus three backup vocalists. ...
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December 14, 2008
Alicia Keys is one woman who has managed to keep her albums at the top of the charts and her face absent from the cover of gossip magazines.
When compared to other musical stars, the 27-year-old almost resembles a saint.
We saw Britney shave her head and at almost any chance, drive around without putting her children in seatbelts, while Amy Winehouse continues to fuel drug abuse rumours through cancelled shows and disturbing YouTube videos. But to Keys it's all "just an illusion". ...
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December 14, 2008
Now that's definitely cool. Bob Dylan mentions you in a song and then Jack White sings with you on the new James Bond theme.
American star Alicia Keys is having it both ways, introducing elements of pop to her sound with latest album As I Am, but still flying the flag for old-school soul.
There was room for it all on the opening night of her Australian tour at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night, where she showed why she has proven the most durable of this decade's R&B stars.
There's energy, excitement and a big show, but there's real musical substance as well.Keys showed it's still possible to cross to a mainstream audience on talent rather than celebrity. ...
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