Added: 10/11/2005 |
Alicia Keys is the Soul of Nowaday Popular Music LyricsPopular music lyrics is the most beloved genre for many modern music performers. Each week charts are filled with newly-made ballads and lyrical songs, where singers with fascinating voices narrate about difficulties of life, broken hearts and deceived dreams. There is no strict definition of the term "lyrics", because it embraces different levels of art, from literature to music. In plain words, it is everything, which reflects life through peoples' feelings and experiences. The distinguishing features of this music are a deep sweet sound and romantic words slightly diluted with philosophy. We are speaking not about Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Elton John and other stars, whose songs became classics of popular music lyrics. We mean modern R'n'B and Soul performers - the leaders of modern popular music lyrics.
These two different kinds of one and the same Afro-American national music are indissolubly connected with each other. These genres appeared in the beginning of the 20th century, when Ray Charles put quite common and simple texts to popular religious music. In other words, he took the well-known slow mournful blues and played it with a new vigor and passion. When the wave of resentment ceased, the new trend appeared to be the most famous and popular one.
The development of the soul genre, which is a rhythm-and-blues variety, was quite slow. This kind of popular music lyrics is characterized by an energetic vocal and long melodic fragments performed on one breath and on one syllable of the text, which are called "howlings". They can also be flavored with a kind of dialogues between the soloist and the back vocal group. All these features made the genre of soul and R'n'B the most original but not very attractive for many musicians, because of the difficult technique.
It was Alicia Keys who brought this variety of popular music lyrics to the new level. This young beauty creates popular music songs which present a rare fusion of sincere texts and refined melodies. That is why her first album "Songs In A Minor" enjoyed fantastic success, so that sound recording companies queued near her manager's office. The most part of works, including the bright "Falling" and the robust "Trouble" occupied tops of many hit parades. And the next 2002 year brought her five Grammies among which were the ones "For the best song"("Fallin'"), "The best new performer", "The best rhythm-and-blues album"( "Songs In A Minor"). In March Alicia won three Soul Train Music Awards, in August the twenty-year-old girl became a four-fold Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards winner. Besides, Keys and Usher's "My Boo" is the most popular lyric song of the year 2005, and her single "If I Ain`t Got You" is being nominated for Grammy.
But to achieve this, Alicia had to work from morning till night playing the piano and training her vocal chords. Her mother's words "You can give up everything, but never do it with your piano lessons" became Alicia's motto. Thank to her talent, Alicia entered Columbian University at the age of sixteen. Though she was eager to study, she decided to devote herself to music. And Alicia made the best choice she could.
Key's songs are worth listening. The melancholic tunes and penetrating texts open the romantic world of a young girl, and you will not be disappointed if you find some time to get to know them.
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