Keys (album)

''Keys'' is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, released through RCA Records on December 10, 2021. It was primarily produced by Keys. It was preceded by the release of two singles: "Lala (Unlocked)" featuring Swae Lee and " Best of Me". The album was announced on October 27 and includes two discs (original and unlocked), with two versions of 10 tracks, along with six other tracks.

''Keys'' is a double album. The first part features the more traditional and melodic original songs. The second half of the album features the unlocked versions of the same tracks, where Mike WiLL Made-It sampled the original tracks and gave them stronger beats and several effects and transformations. Some songs exist only either in their original or unlocked version. In the United States, the album debuted at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' 200 selling 20,800 units, and becoming Keys' first studio album to miss the top five in that country. It received mostly positive reviews, with critics highlighting Keys' production approach in particular, although some were critical of the quality behind the song composition. To support the album, Keys embarked on the Alicia + Keys World Tour.

Conception and composition

The singer's eighth recording project consists of two parts: the first, called Originals, is described as "the classic side of me", while the second, Unlocked, is "a whole other sonic experience". The album features the singer as producer and songwriter on all twenty-six tracks, with numerous songwriters and producers participating, including Mike Will Made It, Sia, Raphael Saadiq, Natalie Hemby, and vocal collaborations from Khalid, Lil Wayne, Pusha T, Swae Lee, Brandi Carlile, and Jacob Collier.

After her album '' Alicia'' was released during the coronavirus pandemic, Keys started to work on the album by writing alone in the studio as she did with her first albums. Keys, interviewed by ''Entertainment Weekly'', said about the album:

«The pandemic hit; I didn't feel creative at all. I had lost my center and didn't really know how to find peace. ..So I did get right back in and I knew that I wanted to do this album called ''Keys.'' And as I started to create it, I realized that it was a homecoming for me. It's so grounded in songwriting and raw expression. I didn't worry about production. ..Me and my engineer Ann Mincieli started conversating about this concept about these two worlds. ..She suggested I connect with ap producerMike Will. And when I connected with Mike Will, it was instant vibes. ..I like that you can choose your own adventure. You could do that thing where you're kind of A-B-ing it, or you can just ride out to what your energy is».

From the album’s beginning, Keys had a vision to create an alternative and sampled side of the original album. Keys considered enlisting either Hit-Boy, Illangelo or Mike Will Made It to produce the unlocked side of the album. After the originals side was mainly completed, Keys connected with producer Mike Will, and began to work on the unlocked side with him in New York.

Promotion and release

Keys debuted the album's lead single, "Lala" at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards alongside Swae Lee. On October 31, Keys appeared on ''1Xtra's R&B Show'' on BBC Radio 1Xtra in the United Kingdom. In November 2021, Keys appeared on the covers of '' Marie Claire'' in the United Kingdom and the United States, and '' Glamour Germany''. Keys performed of songs from the album at the Mercedes-EQ Concert Experience, held at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan on November 6, 2021. As part of SiriusXM's and Pandora's ''Small Stage Series'', Keys performed songs from the album at Apollo Theater on November 11, 2021. The show was the first of several intimate concert appearances staged by Keys during the unveiling of the new material. On December 1, Keys performed songs from the album at an intimate concert at Superblue art gallery during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida. On December 6, Keys appeared on ''Complexs ''360 With Speedy Morman'' to talk about the album. Keys appeared on ''Extra'' on an episode airing on December 8. On December 9, Keys was featured on ''Drink Champs'' podcast on Revolt. The album was further promoted by an iHeartRadio album release party featuring an exclusive interview and performances by Keys on December 9.

During its first week of release, Keys appeared on Apple Music's ''R&B Now Radio'' to talk about the album with Ebro Darden and performed a concert at Expo 2020 in Dubal, United Arab Emirates on December 10. On December 12, Keys appeared on '' The Kris Fade Show'' on Virgin Radio Dubai. To talk about the album, Keys appeared on Australian tv-show ''Sunrise'' on December 13. On December 14, Keys appeared on the ''Fat Joe Show'', ''Today'' and ''The One Show'' and performed "Old Memories" on ''The Voice''. Keys was interviewed by Taylor Rooks from the National Basketball Association for ''1 on 1 with Alicia Keys'' on December 15. Keys appeared on ''The Breakfast Club'' radio show on December 17.

Re-release ''Keys II''

On July 14, 2022 Keys unveiled the music video for "Come for Me" featuring Khalid and Lucky Daye, ahead of a re-release of the album titled ''Keys II'' during the following month. In the United States, " Trillions" featuring Brent Faiyaz impacted R&B radio on August 23, 2022.

Critical reception

''Keys'' was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 65, based on 11 reviews.

Reviewing for ''Rolling Stone'' in December 2021, Jon Dolan found the project to consist of "two distinct, easily digestible collections", highlighting ''Originals'' as "the more self-assured of the two sets" and its first seven songs a "run of historical turns hatis quintessential Keys". Dan Cairns of ''The Times'' wrote that the album as a whole is a "powerful reminder of just how original an artist she is", adding that "tracks such as Daffodil Mix 2/Daffodils, Skydive, Is It Insane and Nat King Cole point up to Keys' bracingly and often irreverent approach to music-making". Similarly, ''The Daily Telegraph''s Neil McCormick said her production strives toward "epic" ballad styles and evocative trip hop tones, while ''The New York Times'' reviewer Jon Pareles

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