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  Directed by
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  Starring
  Specs
  • Full FramePan&Scan
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese
  Extras
  • Booklet
The Diary Of Alicia Keys
Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 83 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

In June 2001, Alicia Keys released her debut album Songs in A Minor and quickly became both a popular and critically acclaimed singer/songwriter. Her sophomore album The Diary of Alicia Keys has been just as successful as her debut effort and the documentary The Diary of Alicia Keys chronicles her life in the wake of her successful debut and the creation of her second album.

This eighty-three minute documentary is divided into 13 different chapters which cover everything from Alicia's family history, the success of her first album, touring and music video shoots.

The Beginning
Girlfriend
Number One
Touring
Spain
Arizona
Monte Carlo
Fights on Tour
Backstage Pass
Africa
Middle East
The Studio
The Diary Photo Shoot
The Future

This is a nicely fashioned documentary that begins by looking back at Alicia's childhood and ends with her looking forward to what the future holds. The major draw card for this DVD is of course Alicia Keys herself and in this film she comes across as very gracious, beautiful and intelligent. The best parts of this film are Alicia's direct to camera comments as she introduces the viewer to each location and situation with a warmth and candour that should please every Alicia Keys fan and dispel any notion that she is a pop diva.

The one thing lacking from this documentary is the music. There are small snippets of concert rehearsals and studio mixing, but there are only small amounts of actual music. The music is NOT the focus of this pseudo-documentary, which is a shame, because unlike most young singers at the moment, Alicia Keys' strength is her music. You occasionally hear the start or end of a familiar song, but it is quickly muted by backstage footage or Alicia addressing the camera.

This is not an in-depth documentary on its subject, but rather a fun and entertaining look at Alicia Keys on tour that really only devoted fans will find interesting.

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

The Diary of Alicia Keys is presented in 1.33:1 Fullscreen and while there is occasional grain visible, this is a clean, clear print that showcases some amazing shots of the various international locations that the singer visits. Skin tones, color depth and shadow detail are all respectable.

The audio is advertised as Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and it's a perfectly adequate audio mix for the film. As I said, this film is actually very sparse on actual live performances and music, so there is really no need for a booming 5.1 audio package. Dialogue is clear and audible and there are no major audio issues.

French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch subtitles are the only extra features on the The Diary of Alicia Keys DVD release.

The Diary of Alicia Keys is a nice companion DVD for the album of the same name and is a must buy for all fans of this talented singer/songwriter.


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  •   And I quote...
    "A behind the scenes companion DVD for the album of the same name, this is must buy for fans of the talented Alicia Keys."
    - Rebecca Taylor
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DAV-S300
    • TV:
          Sony KDE 42XBR950 Plasma
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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