Alicia Keys performs at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.Two versions of Alicia Keys appeared on stage at the Garden on Wednesday night - the serious neo-soul singer and the eager-to-please entertainer.
For the artist's first headlining arena tour, Keys clearly felt the need to stretch herself beyond the tailored role that first nabbed attention for her: as an intimate, piano-playing singer-songwriter.
Now Keys employs both flashy video accompaniment and dance routines that made her stray for long periods from her instrument of choice. The result inched her a step closer to the over-familiar role of arena divas from Janet to Mariah to Beyoncé.
It didn't exactly make for a smooth transition. Keys moved stiffly, even though the choreography didn't ask her to dance so much as to merely gyrate and hop. And she had no rapport whatsoever with the dancers who moved manically around her to try and compensate.
Some of Keys' songs suffered for their snazzy settings. By costuming the backup singers as a '60s girl group and using flower-power video behind wonderful retro numbers like "Where Do We Go From Here" and "Teenage Love Affair," things veered too close to camp.
All was hardly lost. Keys found her footing once the other players and the shenanigans slunk away, leaving her alone with the piano.
Her take on Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" remains the definitive one and it only benefited from witty additions made here, which had her snubbed by mail and text message, too. "Butterflyz" showed off her jazz phrasing. "Goodbye" soared with a pitched gospel cry.
The sheer craft of Keys' compositions continues to impress. She's the best R&B writer of her generation and the purest soul singer as well. Her shouts have the reach of the '60s greats, and her self-assertive lyrics give her a righteous anchor. But with chops this unimpeachable, and highs of the night so high, it only made all her audience-mongering moves seem like distractions she could do without.
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