Alicia Keys Is Working On a New Album

It's hard to believe Alicia Keys released her last album almost two years ago. Maybe it's because the chorus to "Girl on Fire" randomly sets up shop in my head from time to time and refuses to leave. When that happens, all my thoughts turn into one everlasting note of "FIY-UHHHHHHHHH!" and I feel like I'm back there in 2012, unable to extinguish the flames erupting in my brain. It's a good thing Keys revealed plans for a new album, tentatively set for 2015.

Of her new music, Keys shared a few details with Women's Wear Daily while shooting an ad for Givenchy, saying, "With this album, I find I have much more I want to talk about." She also described how her next release will differ from its predecessors. "This album is more about the concept, the thought I’m trying to get across, where in the past it’s been more about the melody. This time it’s more about what we’re going through as human beings."OK, so that's not really saying that much. But a song titled "Killing Your Mother" (which Keys said is "about emotions") sounds like she definitely plans to embrace a more provocative sound, which would work in her favor. Her music is beautiful and there's no doubt she puts effort into perfecting it sonically, but compared to her Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys some of her more recent efforts feel like they're missing a little something.Keys typically plays it safe when it comes to lyrics but it wouldn't hurt if she was just a tad more forthcoming. She's highly intellectual so she's capable of addressing controversial subjects, yet seasoned enough to pull it off without sacrificing her integrity as an artist. This isn't to suggest that she should sing about what happened on Instagram, or use her music for trendy or salacious topics just for the purpose of increasing sales. But it would be nice if she infused her new music with just a bit of the grit that had us all fallin' for her in the first place.