MUSIC: Alicia Keys' new single "No One"

"No One" by Alicia Keys

If Beyonce is the Queen of Pop R&B, who gets you on your feet to shake your moneymaker, then Alicia Keys is the Queen of Soul R&B, who with just a few notes can evoke a sadness in even the happiest person. For her first single in 4 years, since the release of the Grammy award winning album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, she's chosen a piano-driven ballad about loving against all odds. Since her last #1 single was recorded with Usher, it was sort of expected that her next release would have been her collaboration with John Mayer--since there was so much hype around it. But she could just be testing the waters.

On the track, itself, she sounds like she's wailing. But if you're a veteran Keys fan, you'll know that it's just the intensity of her emotions amplified. However, Keys usually stays away from musical compositions that require her to sing at high pitches, known more for her deep intonations--especially in live performances. This could be her attempt at evolution. We'll see when the album--featuring Mayer, Timbaland, Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry), and Linda Perry--hits stores in November 2007.