TONY BLACK

The Making of “THE DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS”

I Wrote this piece about 10 years ago and it only appeared in the Alicia Keys Fan Club Newsletter…major time machine stuff, wow!

The Making of “THE DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS”
-a page from “the diaries of ‘the boutique’”-

17 hour days.6 sometimes 7 days a week. Studios in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles. Lots of candles,incense,coffee,tuna sandwiches,chai latte’s,green tea,pizza,soy chicken,water,soda and more coffee. No windows. Not much TV.No video games. Some internet.Not much sleep. Lots of music. Lots of work. Lots of fun. One album.

I am assuming you are a fan of Alicia Keys because you’re reading this in the AKFCNL. And as a fan you might be interested in some of what was involved in the making of “the diaries of alicia keys”. In this page from “the diaries of the boutique” I hope to give you a little peek at what making the album has been like.

Who is “the boutique”? I have been, for the past several months, the engineer for the album. Along with a few “other engineers” like Anntastic. But enough about me(I can’t believe I said that),this is about the making of the album.

We started the recording back in February. I wasn’t actually sure we were making the album until June because I thought we were just trying out some studios to see if we liked them. I guess we liked them. It’s October as I am writing this and we’ve still got a little way to go.

Most people ask the question “Why does it take so long?” The answer is not an easy one. There are many reasons. What are some? Here’s a brief list of the ingredients needed to make an album: First an inspiration is needed and from that comes music and lyrics. Then arrangements are decided,but they can change. Then production is chosen,but that can change. Then the song is recorded,but that might be done a few times. Then it is mixed,and that might be redone too. There are alot of revisions to each stage. Not because of indecision but because each element reacts to the other. If a lyric is changed,a melody might. If a chord is changed, a melody might have to. If an arrangement is changed,the tempo might . And so on and so on. An album is a process. It is emotional and physical and involves an artist’s deepest thoughts, moods and performances. Those things can’t be forced, they have to occur naturally.

When you finally have the album, and you’re listening to it, I hope this little article gives you some more insight as to where it came from. From my front row seat, I can tell you that it was made with an incredible passion by an artist who really loves what she does.
Enjoy it, I did.

Tony Black
“the boutique”