| Precocious
R&B vocalist/pianist Alicia Keys was picked by Clive Davis as one of
the flagship artists for his post-Arista label J Records. No doubt he
was as impressed by her multitude of skills (Keys took a large role in
the writing, arranging and production of her debut album) as by her
music, which mates contemporary hip-hop accoutrements to an old-school
soul sensibility a la Jill Scott or D'Angelo. Only 20 years old at the
time of the album's release, Keys already seemed poised for a major
career built upon her soulful voice and classically trained piano chops |