Things change. It’s simply the way life is. People expect things to change. When you see someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they look just like they did in high school, it kind of freaks you out. Evolution is a natural part of almost every aspect of life, except entertainment. In entertainment, be it movies, sports, or the music industry, the term “throwback” is normally a compliment. How many times have you been watching a basketball game and heard, “He’s a throwback to an era where dribbling was an art form,” or were listening to Oscar buzz where someone said, “She’s a method actress in the mold of Bette Davis, a true throwback.”? This praise of antiquity exists for lots of reasons, but mainly because entertainment is almost always a stylistic boxing match between eras. The classic is continuously pitted against the contemporary, with the young and the old sparring for the right to call their era superior.

In the middle of these era wars, there always arise a few figures who get dubbed "timeless." Most baseball minds would agree that Babe Ruth could sock homers in any era, just as movie critics would say that stars like George Clooney and Johnny Depp have the type of charisma that could fill theaters in any decade. In music, being painted with the “timeless” brush means even more. It means that you have the type of transcendent talent that could stand up in the age of The Beatles or of U2. It means that you are equal parts Marvin Gaye and R. Kelly. It’s a distinction reserved for someone whose music impacts the current scene while simultaneously conjuring images of a time when the art was innocent, soul-rich, and genuine. Obviously, these types are hard to come by. Music tends to be dictated by trends, and trends tend to be current.

So what does it take to be a timeless artist, and who has it? Well, what it takes is simple: soul. Soul is the one ingredient in music that never goes stale. It’s summed up in not what you hear, but what you feel. Every great musician in history has had it, and in this day and age, soul can find no better ambassador than Alicia Keys. Since she first debuted her incredible voice on her 2001 debut single, “Fallen,” Alicia has become a staple of the “real music” movement. Her music is weighty and dripping with an authenticity that coaxes emotion out of listeners of all ages and backgrounds. This accessibility led to her debut album, Songs in A Minor, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. The effort was also hailed by critics, mainly for its ability to speak the musical language of the new millennium over the musical melody of the Motown era.

Although her debut album dropped in 2001, Alicia had actually been a signed recording artist since the age of 16, with label politics and music industry shenanigans delaying her debut for nearly seven years. She eventually found artistic freedom with Clive Davis and his upstart imprint, J Records, and the rest, as they say, is history. She followed Song in A Minor in 2003 with a sophomore effort entitled The Diary of Alicia Keys. The collection was another major commercial and critical success, selling eight million copies and winning four Grammy Awards. With the five Grammys she previously won for her debut, Alicia reached the nine Grammys milestone in just two albums, an astonishing pace for a female artist. The Diary of Alicia Keys was a more personal effort and featured the Kanye West-produced hit single “You Don’t Know My Name,” which went to number three on the charts.

In an era where most R&B mavens were stripping down and baring it all for the cameras, Alica Keys found success by stripping it down and baring her musical soul.  She took nearly four years off after The Diary of Alicia Keys, a period which saw her tackle some movie roles and other endeavors but also mature as a woman and as an artist. She made a triumphant return in 2007 with her third release, entitled As I Am. The album’s tone could be summed up in one word: growth. Gone were the Bluesy, Jazz-infused R&B hits her fans had come to love. That sound had been traded in for a big, sumptuous, stadium anthem power ballad-heavy collection. The lead single, “No One,” illustrated this new sound and caught fire on radio, shooting to number one on the charts. Alicia proved that good music still sells well, with As I Am becoming the highest-selling album in the U.S. that year.

If you’re listening to the radio now, you can hear Alicia guesting on the anthem of the moment, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” Despite this assist, Alicia is planning on going to the basket herself with a new album, entitled The Element of Freedom. She describes the album as having a more “intimate” feel for her fans, saying that it’ll take them on a “natural high.” The Element of Freedom features guest appearances from Drake and Beyoncé, as well as an A-list production line-up. No matter what the outside contributions to the pot might be, we all know what the main ingredient to any Alicia Keys album is. It’s soul, the timeless soul that makes Alicia the defining R&B voice of her generation.

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