Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is the musical equivalent of a five-tool player in baseball: She excels at singing, writing, playing, producing and performing in concert — and as a bonus, she's the rare diva who's blessed with both a photogenic exterior and a brain that can be described as "fully functioning." No...

By Michael Roberts

September 11, 2008

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Alicia Keys is the musical equivalent of a five-tool player in baseball: She excels at singing, writing, playing, producing and performing in concert — and as a bonus, she's the rare diva who's blessed with both a photogenic exterior and a brain that can be described as "fully functioning." No wonder her decision to put herself in the hands of song doctor Linda Perry for much of As I Am, her latest CD, seemed so quizzical. After all, she didn't need the same sort of reclamation work as, say, Pink, whom Perry helped transform from a video trollop to a tough, funny video trollop. But if the resulting album sounded mildly compromised, there's no denying its success: At a time when shifting 500,000 units is the equivalent of selling five million a few years ago, As I Am has been certified triple platinum. Guess even a hit-master like Keys can use a little help from a teammate or two.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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