Unplugged (Alicia Keys album)

Unplugged is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was recorded as part of the television program MTV Unplugged on July 4, 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York City. It was released in the United States on October 11, 2005 by J Records. The album includes songs from her multi-platinum albums Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number one, with first-week sales of 196,000 copies in the US,[1] and over 245,000 copies worldwide, the highest debut for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one. The album has sold over one million copies in the United States and over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it received four nominations for the 2006 Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album.

Unplugged
Live album by
Alicia Keys
ReleasedOctober 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)
RecordedJuly 4, 2005
VenueBrooklyn Academy of Music (New York City)
GenreR&B
Length72:22
LabelJ
Producer
Alicia Keys chronology
The Diary of Alicia Keys
(2003)		 Unplugged
(2005)		 As I Am
(2007)
Singles from Unplugged
  1. "Unbreakable"
    Released: September 13, 2005
  2. "Every Little Bit Hurts"
    Released: January 2006

The first single released from the album was "Unbreakable", which peaked at number thirty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The second single, "Every Little Bit Hurts", was released in January 2006. The album and DVD includes songs from her multi-platinum albums Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, with first-week sales of 196,000 copies, serving as Keys' third consecutive number-one debut in the United States. The album's two singles were "Unbreakable", which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and "Every Little Bit Hurts", which failed to enter the US and international charts.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
BBC Music(positive)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
The Independent(average)[5]
Jam![6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
PopMatters(5/10)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
USA Today[11]

Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic.[12] E! Online gave the album an A− and said of Alicia Keys: "She might be unplugged--but she's still electrifying."[12] Entertainment Weekly said the album "largely leaves Keys' runaway careerism in the dressing room, where it belongs."[4] Blender gave it four stars out of five and called it "a stellar set."[13] Q gave the album four stars out of five and said it "stands as an apt reminder that she is the finest soul talent of her generation."[12] Billboard gave it a favorable review and said, "This self-assured, illuminating 'MTV Unplugged' performance underscores Keys' boundless passion for her craft."[14] Los Angeles Times gave it three stars out of four and said, "The problems in this 72-minute package come chiefly when the exquisite singer-songwriter moves to what you'd think would be the creative heart of the album: material that isn't on her earlier CDs."[7] Stylus Magazine gave it a B− and stated, "I’m definitely recommending Unplugged--with reservations, but it’s still a recommendation--but damn, I just wish the fun Keys seems to have on stage would translate more clearly to record."[15]

Other critics were more ambivalent. Rolling Stone gave it three stars out of five and said the album "bursts with sweet soul that seems to feed off the adoring crowd."[9] Allmusic gave it two and a half stars out of five and stated, "Over these rhythmic vamps, Keys does have some impressive vocal runs where she departs from the original melody and glides by on the sheer sound of her voice, but when the songs are reduced to their bare essence, her vocalizing doesn't become a way of telling a story, it becomes the reason she's playing music in the first place."[2] Neumu gave it four stars out of ten and called it "just another bloated arena show."[16] Uncut gave it two stars out of five and said, "Keys hasn't the charisma to indulge in the inter-song banter here, which breaks up any soulful flow that might develop despite her sharp, hectoring vocals."[12]

Accolades

At the 48th Grammy Awards in 2006, Unplugged earned Keys four nominations; Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for "Unbreakable", Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "If I Was Your Woman".[17]

Track listing
Unplugged – CD/DVD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro Alicia's Prayer" (Acappella)Hymn, Traditional1:11
2."Karma"Kerry Brothers, Jr., Alicia Keys, Taneisha Smith2:10
3."Heartburn"Keys, Tim Mosley, Walter Millsap III, Candice Nelson, Erika Rose3:03
4."A Woman's Worth"Keys, Rose, Ernie Isley, Christopher Jasper, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr.3:30
5."Unbreakable"Keys, Kanye West, Harold Lilly, Garry Glenn4:34
6."How Come You Don't Call Me"Prince5:23
7."If I Was Your Woman"Gloria Jones, Clarence McMurray, Pam Sawyer4:04
8."If I Ain't Got You"Keys4:06
9."Every Little Bit Hurts"Ed Cobb4:01
10."Streets of New York (City Life)"Keys, Smith, Eric Barrier, Nasir Jones, Chris Martin, William Griffin7:35
11."Wild Horses" (featuring Adam Levine)Mick Jagger, Keith Richards6:04
12."Diary"Keys, Brothers, Jr.5:53
13."You Don't Know My Name"Keys, West, Lilly, James Ralph Bailey, Melvin Kent, Ken Williams3:35
14."Stolen Moments"Keys, Brothers, Jr., Lamont Green, Wah Wah Watson5:14
15."Fallin'"Keys5:10
16."Love It or Leave It Alone/Welcome to Jamrock" (featuring Mos Def, Common, Damian Marley & Friends)Lorenzo DeChalus, Derek Murphy, Charles Davis, Kirk Khaleel, Joseph Williams, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Ini Kamoze6:42
Total length:72:22
Unplugged – DVD special features
No.TitleLength
17."Unbreakable" (Music video) 
18."Behind the Scenes Alicia Keys Unplugged" 

Sample credits

  • "A Woman's Worth" contains a sample of "Footsteps in the Dark" by The Isley Brothers (Ernest Isley, Christopher Jasper, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr.)
  • "Unbreakable" contains a sample of Eddie Kendricks' "Intimate Friends" (Garry Glenn)
  • "Streets of New York (City Life)" contains a sample of "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas (Eric Barrier, Nasir Jones, Chris Martin, William Griffin)
  • "You Don't Know My Name" contains a sample of "Let Me Prove My Love to You" by The Main Ingredient (J. R. Bailey, Mel Kent, Ken Williams)
  • "Love It or Leave It Alone" contains a sample of "Love Me or Leave Me Alone" by Brand Nubian (Lorenzo DeChalus, Derek Murphy, Charles Davis) and "Latoya" by Just-Ice (Kirk Khaleel, Joseph Williams)

Personnel
  • Alicia Keys – arranger, executive producer
  • Alex Coletti – director, producer
  • Peter Edge – executive producer
  • Onree Gill – arranger
  • John Harris – audio recording
  • Many Marroquin – mixing
  • Ann Mincieli – assistant engineer
  • Herb Powers – mastering
  • Jared Robbins – assistant engineer
  • Jeff Robinson – executive producer
  • Stewart White – assistant engineer

Charts and certifications
gollark: Induction.
gollark: Oh bee, this will cause a repeat of the macron incident won't it.
gollark: Too bad, you are to guess them.
gollark: You should be able to work out the rest inductively.
gollark: 1 + 1 = 20 + 1 = 1-1 + 1 = 0-1 + 2 = 1

See also

Release history
Country Date Label
Germany October 7, 2005 J Records
France October 10, 2005
United Kingdom
United States October 11, 2005
Canada Sony Music
Australia October 17, 2005 Sony BMG
Japan October 26, 2005 BMG

References
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