Keys (album)

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".[1][2] 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.[3]

After her album Alicia was released in September 2020, following a delay during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Keys started to work on the album by writing alone in the studio as she did with her first albums.[4] Keys, interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, said about the album:[5]

«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 [rap producer] Mike 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.[6] Keys considered enlisting either Hit-Boy, Illangelo or Mike Will Made It to produce the unlocked side of the album.[7] 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.[6]

Keys debuted the album's lead single, "Lala" at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards alongside Swae Lee.[8] On October 31, Keys appeared on 1Xtra's R&B Show on BBC Radio 1Xtra in the United Kingdom.[9] In November 2021, Keys appeared on the covers of Marie Claire in the United Kingdom and the United States, and Glamour Germany.[10][11][12] Keys performed of songs from the album at the Mercedes-EQ Concert Experience, held at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan on November 6, 2021.[13] As part of SiriusXM's and Pandora's Small Stage Series, Keys performed songs from the album at Apollo Theater on November 11, 2021.[14] The show was the first of several intimate concert appearances staged by Keys during the unveiling of the new material.[15] On December 1, Keys performed songs from the album at an intimate concert at Superblue art gallery during Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.[16] On December 6, Keys appeared on Complex's 360 With Speedy Morman to talk about the album.[17] Keys appeared on Extra on an episode airing on December 8.[18] On December 9, Keys was featured on Drink Champs podcast on Revolt.[19] The album was further promoted by an iHeartRadio album release party featuring an exclusive interview and performances by Keys on December 9.[20]

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.[21][22] On December 12, Keys appeared on The Kris Fade Show on Virgin Radio Dubai.[23] To talk about the album, Keys appeared on Australian tv-show Sunrise on December 13.[24] On December 14, Keys appeared on the Fat Joe Show, Today and The One Show and performed "Old Memories" on The Voice.[25][26][27][28] Keys was interviewed by Taylor Rooks from the National Basketball Association for 1 on 1 with Alicia Keys on December 15.[29] Keys appeared on The Breakfast Club radio show on December 17.[30] To showcase the album, Keys performed in concert at Maraya in Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia on February 11, 2022.[31]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.4/10[37]
Metacritic	65/100[38]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[39]
The Daily Telegraph	[40]
Evening Standard	[41]
The Guardian	[42]
The Independent	[43]
NME	[44]
The Observer	[45]
Rolling Stone	[46]
Slant Magazine	[47]
The Times	[48]

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.[38]

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 [that] is quintessential Keys".[46] 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".[48] Similarly, The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick said her production strives toward "epic" ballad styles and evocative trip hop tones,[40] while The New York Times reviewer Jon Pareles applauded the album for how it "invites every listener to think like a producer, hearing the possibilities of timbre, propulsion, weight and context for every sound, while making clear how much those choices matter".[49]

Other reviewers were less receptive. Alexis Petridis, writing for The Guardian, found Keys to be devoid of any major songs and instead reliant on the artist's creativity, which he said "can improve an average song but can't transform one into something extraordinary".[42] AllMusic's Andy Kellman believed that "the songs are more likely to evoke a feeling than have a clear meaning".[39]

In the United States, the album debuted at number 41 on the Billboard 200 and spent one week on the chart.[50]