MTV Unplugged

Product Description:

Personnel: Alicia Keys (vocals, piano); Arthur White (guitar); Gwen Laster, Mariana Green-Hill (violin); Anne-Marie Bedney (viola); Eileen Folson (cello); David Watson (flute, saxophone); Joe Romano (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jeff Dieterle (trombone); Onree Gill (keyboards); Steve Mostyn (bass instrument); Paul John (drums); Pablo Batista (percussion); Jermaine Paul, Anaysha Figueroa, Sara Devine, Denise Stoudmire (background vocals).

While most performers benefit greatly from studio technology, some shine the brightest in an unadorned live setting. As 2005's MTV UNPLUGGED reveals, Alicia Keys is one of the latter--she's a nuanced singer and gifted pianist whose talent is showcased on this impressive concert outing. Here Keys takes many of the R&B-rooted songs from her first two albums and gives them dynamic live treatments, throwing in a few deft cover tunes to keep the set varied and unpredictable.

Maroon 5's Adam Levine stops by for a spare rendition of the Stones' "Wild Horses," resulting in a duet that brings to mind a youthful collaboration between Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, while the closing track incorporates Damian "Junior Gong" Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock," with Marley (one of Bob's sons) and rappers Common and Mos Def joining the party. However, Keys is at her best on her own songs, as displayed by the soulful "If I Ain't Got You," which builds to uplifting gospel-tinged heights, and "Fallin'," a wonderfully melancholy tune that showcases Keys's passionate vocals.