Album Review: Alicia Keys - Here

Rappers long ago learnt the lessons singers have to teach.

Keys, born to croon, has taken on board what rap has for her kind. The timing, flow, and delivery she exhibits on The Gospel are more indebted to the boom and the bap than the choir book. Kill Your Mama is another good example of her development on the mic. Pawn It All is a swooning, driving throwback to Keys' more traditional sonic flair. This is deeply felt, often compelling stuff. Well short of perfection (it's six or seven songs too long) - but there's rage here, and there's range. At its height, Here is well worth your time.