Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Music

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

70 AFI
65 Air
71 Alice In Chains
77 Amerie
85 The Antlers
75 Arctic Monkeys
68 As Tall As Lions
82 Atlas Sound
75 The Avett Brothers
67 Backstreet Boys
56 Bad Lieutenant
68 Devendra Banhart
72 Lou Barlow
88 Baroness
69 Basement Jaxx
81 David Bazan
72 Brendan Benson
72 The Big Pink
96 Big Star
46 Billy Talent
75 The Black Crowes
51 Black Mold
68 Blitzen Trapper
75 BLK JKS
77 A.A. Bondy
73 The Bottle Rockets
63 Box Elders
65 Boys Like Girls
76 Brand New
73 Tyondai Braxton
87 Brother Ali
70 Ian Brown
75 Michael Buble
78 Built To Spill
61 Colbie Caillat
79 Califone
68 Mariah Carey
84 Brandi Carlile
73 Julian Casablancas
83 Rosanne Cash
69 Castanets
65 The Cave Singers
84 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79 Vic Chesnutt
75 Choir Of Young Believers
81 Circulatory System
68 The Clean
84 The Clientele
71 Cobra Starship
85 Converge
71 Eric Copeland
80 Cymbals Eat Guitars
71 Datarock
59 Dead By Sunrise
76 Dead Man's Bones
88 Destroyer
63 The Dodos
77 Drive-By Truckers
66 Bob Dylan
44 The Entrance Band
67 Esser
69 Fanfarlo
63 Felix Da Housecat
68 Fink
78 The Flaming Lips
66 Flight Of The Conchords
79 Florence And The Machine
67 John Fogerty
83 Fuck Buttons
71 Nelly Furtado
47 Gary Go
68 Ghostface Killah
79 Girls
69 Gossip
62 David Gray
66 David Guetta
79 Richard Hawley
74 Mayer Hawthorne
66 Headlights
79 HEALTH
77 Joe Henry
66 Hockey
69 Whitney Houston
68 Imogen Heap
59 Jack Ingram
79 Islands
73 Jessie James
74 Jamie T
65 Jay-Z
51 Jet
69 Daniel Johnston
76 Karen O And The Kids
72 Toby Keith
69 Kid Cudi
65 Kings Of Convenience
62 Sean Kingston
64 KISS
76 Kris Kristofferson
68 KRS-One & Buckshot
76 La Roux
84 Miranda Lambert
72 Ledisi
75 Sondre Lerche
56 Juliette Lewis
82 Lightning Bolt
73 Little Dragon
44 Pixie Lott
73 Lyle Lovett
66 Lovvers
75 Baaba Maal
77 Madness
84 Madonna
85 Manic Street Preachers
62 Maps
55 Massive Attack
57 Matisyahu
67 Reba McEntire
66 Tim McGraw
65 Brian McKnight
79 Mew
77 Malcolm Middleton
77 Mika
68 Amy Millan
76 Mission Of Burma
76 Molina And Johnson
80 Monsters Of Folk
62 Morrissey
85 Mount Eerie
78 The Mountain Goats
62 Múm
72 Muse
66 Willie Nelson
78 Nirvana
97 Nirvana
72 Nisennenmondai
80 No Age
71 Noah And The Whale
75 Noisettes
79 Nudge
47 Dolores O'Riordan
74 Os Mutantes
73 Osso
81 Owen
76 Paramore
76 Pastels And Tenniscoats
51 Sean Paul
80 Pearl Jam
66 Jemina Pearl
72 Jack Penate
65 Phish
82 Pissed Jeans
61 Pitbull
79 A Place To Bury Strangers
66 Robert Pollard
79 Polvo
72 Porcupine Tree
80 Q-Tip
80 R.E.M.
89 Raekwon
69 Rain Machine
70 Ramona Falls
75 Dizzee Rascal
75 The Raveonettes
76 Jay Reatard
82 Reigning Sound
81 Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79 Russian Circles
69 Buffy Sainte-Marie
73 Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61 Sally Shapiro
78 Shudder To Think
70 Simian Mobile Disco
58 Simple Minds
72 Six Organs Of Admittance
69 Slaughterhouse
80 Slayer
61 The Slits
62 Mindy Smith
78 Soulsavers
77 Speech Debelle
58 Spiral Stairs
58 Squarepusher
55 Steel Panther
73 Sufjan Stevens
52 Rod Stewart
65 Joss Stone
75 George Strait
83 Barbra Streisand
76 A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74 Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78 The Swell Season
76 David Sylvian
83 Taken By Trees
78 Tegan And Sara
68 The Temper Trap
72 Themselves
82 They Might Be Giants
67 Third Eye Blind
66 J Tillman
69 Times New Viking
57 Tokio Hotel
67 Trey Songz
71 The Twilight Sad
58 Carrie Underwood
56 The Used
68 Various Artists
70 Various Artists
74 Various Artists
77 The Very Best
71 Kurt Vile
67 Vivian Girls
71 Volcano Choir
76 Rufus Wainwright
59 Weezer
80 White Denim
76 Why?
83 Wild Beasts
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59 Andrew W.K.
71 Patrick Wolf
67 Wolfmother
84 The xx
79 Yo La Tengo
83 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51 Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59 Zero 7

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The Diary Of Alicia Keys

EMAILPRINTby Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys reviews
71
8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 44 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >

Album Info

Label: J-Records

Release Date: 02 December 2003

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): R&B

Summary

The neo-soul singer returns two years after the success of 'Songs In A Minor' with this sophomore disc.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90

Vibe

Brimming with updated old-school joints, original balladry, and classic-sounding R&B, Diary finds Keys more relaxed, confident, and committed to the tunes of the '70s than ever before. [Feb 2004, p.127]

90

Q Magazine

A proper soul album which hooks you with the first pneumatic beat and draws you deeper with every heady atmosphere and vivid emotion. [Jan 2004, p.111]

90

Dot Music

Another masterpiece.

Read Full Review >
80

Blender

An enthusiastic album full of masterful strokes and electrifying intensity. [#23, p.98]

80

All Music Guide

Those expecting another album where Keys sounds wise beyond her years will bound to be disappointed by The Diary of Alicia Keys, since her writing reveals her age in a way it never did on the debut.

Read Full Review >
80

CultureDose.net

With one album, Alicia Keys jumps up from the most overrated R&B artist since Michael Jackson to the best young talent R&B has seen in a very long time.

Read Full Review >
75

E! Online

Keys, however, proves to be a better singer than songwriter, as most of the latter half of the album slips into sleepy piano numbers.

Read Full Review >
75

Entertainment Weekly

Give Keys' simmering voice and evident instrumental skills... the results are all the more frustrating. [5 Dec 2003, p.94]

70

Rolling Stone

An assured, adult statement.

Read Full Review >
70

Mojo

An hour of heartful, artful singing enhanced by dense, yet fuss-free arrangements. [Jan 2004, p.106]

70

PopMatters

The project is clearly laboring to be relevant to the current marketplace and thus suffers from a serious lack of cohesion.

Read Full Review >
66

ShakingThrough.net

Keys plays it far too safe here: There's nothing that will offend, and the content is patently generic enough that almost anyone, lovelorn or heartbroken, can build a personal soundtrack of romantic woe from its raw materials.

Read Full Review >
62

Stylus Magazine

There's "Karma" and "I Don't Know Your Name." You and your iPod know what to do.

Read Full Review >
60

The Guardian

There are a handful of great moments, where risks are taken and ground is broken, but too often it opts for the familiar and the bland.

Read Full Review >
50

Playlouder

See, there're a good few cracking singles on here, but there are also occasions when her wistful classicism leads her down blind alleys.

Read Full Review >
40

Uncut

If she's going to make us read her diary entries, she's going to need something more compelling than this litany of cliche and hackneyed need-a-man Bridget Jones-wailing. [Feb 2004, p.72]

40

New York Magazine

The note that truly dooms Diary is thematic, not musical. The disc collapses under the weight of one song about heartbreak after another.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 44 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lydia R gave it a10:
Absolutely brilliant album, its good to hear actual instruments in the background as so many artists don't do this. Everyone can listen to this album despite age..my whole fam loves this album:)

izat a gave it a2:
she's so overrated!!!!!!!!!!! diz album's so boring!!! i was literally asleep after hearing 3 songs... i hate this album.. i regret buying this!!! crap!!!

J D gave it an8:
Very good album, however, I feel this will be the last and the only album she will ever make as good as this. I can listen to every amazing song up until Dragon Days. After Dragon Days is over I put the CD back on the shelf because the rest isn't good at all. Definetly talented, but she isn't the next Mariah Carey

James H gave it a10:
Alicia Keys is the new Aretha Franklin. While no one thought it would be possible for her to out do her debut album she has. This, in my opinion is miles better with the best song of her career so far, 'If I Ain't Got You'. This album shows you why she has so many fans around the world with that incredibly voice and musical background. No one comes close to the wirting ability of Keys at the moment. The songs will live forever. A timeless classic masterpiece.

Nick V gave it an8:
A very good R&B CD. Plenty of soulful tracks.

Ally G gave it a10:
i love ALICIA KEYS....she is the best...i dun noe how she's gonna top this one and i cant wait till she puts out her next cd

Jamal B gave it a5:
its ight

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use