No photos were allowed, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Alicia Keys was at her best last week in an intimate concert in the Allen Room, the glorious small theater over looking Central Park at Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Time Warner building last week. Just a few days before nabbing American Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock and Best R & B and Soul Album, Keys paused in New York to acknowledge her tour sponsor Lexus.
Clad in a simple sunset orange sparkly top, coordinated stilettos and snug denim, Keys ran through an hour-long set list including “Superwoman”, “Fallin’” and “A Woman’s Worth.” While Keys rocked arenas this summer, she was more natural in the intimate concert setting, playing to the crowd with sincerity and with the polish of a well-rehearsed performer, confidently working the groove. She also showed her courage, with backup singers that could out sing her with natural talent on most skat and improvisations. Keys kept her vocals more in the pocket, concentrating on skillful keyboard and piano arrangements of her biggest hits, sending the nod to her band leader who built the jams and added to the musicality of the evening. With only a few hundred people to please from the Lexus and XM guest lists, Keys pranced to salsa drums, but did not attempt showy dance routines that seemed force. For one brisk evening, Keys was a sophisticated lounge act, seemingly carefree and loving her music, and sharing it with a well-dressed after work audience. A native New Yorker on her home turf, she seemed in the mood to spread the good cheer, even proclaiming, “We’re all New Yorkers.” She ended with a warm, organic composition of her latest hit “No One,” as people cheered and rushed in Manhattan style for the coat check off into the blustery night. Keys played JALC in 2005 in a fundraiser for AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive.
