“I know I’m losing control,†Alicia Keys sang in “Love Is Blind,†the song that started her set at the Nokia Theater on Tuesday night. But she wasn’t, not for an instant.
Through her set Ms. Keys measured every note, every bit of between-song patter, every motion and every vocal inflection, even when she was making her voice sound tearful or imploring or driven. In a career as one of this decade’s most dependable hit makers, that underlying poise has been her strength. Her message, particularly to women, is to endure and prevail. But that same steadfastness has also emerged as a shortcoming — onstage more than in the studio, where the sound of her voice is persuasive.
Ms. Keys writes and sings about heartache and sorrow, usually on the way to overcoming them. She promises devotion and calls for determination through every struggle. Her craftsmanship and equanimity are a comfort, a demonstration of what she counsels. But they are also a barrier. She doesn’t let loose. (Read more… )
