Alicia Keys lays soul bare on new single ‘Hallelujah’
Last month marked the glorious return of Alicia Keys with her stunning new single ‘In Common’. Well, I say glorious in terms of the quality of the music, as it did not really achieve the sales one would expect from an Alicia comeback yet. This is something I can’t seem to understand, as ‘In Common’ is a fantastic tune with a rather current sound to it, while still sounding like Alicia. She and her team moved on to the next single though, titled ‘Hallelujah’. More of a classic Keys track, but with rawer vocals than ever.

Where ‘In Common’ was driven by a smooth soft house beat and some latin elements, ‘Hallelujah’ returns to a mix of soul, pop and R&B. Where her vocals had never sounded more sultry than on the previous single, the new one provides a way more raw sound. Alicia sings her heart out without polishing and that is great to hear as well. She still is one of the best vocalists of her time and this definitely shows during the emotive belting on ‘Hallelujah’s chorus. She begs and pleads over dominant drums and piano and some hand claps in the middle eight. I am not sure if this is going to be the hit she and her team need, but the album is already shaping up to be amazing.