Alicia Keys: 'Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down'

An interesting one this - a follow-up to a track that was not only one of the best singles of last year, but quite possibly one of the songs of the decade. Jay Z's 'Empire State Of Mind' was a perfect storm of talent. The rapper never sounded better, while Alicia Keys's skyscraper-skimming chorus was matched by some slamming drums and her own off-the-leash pounding keys. So what does stripping away half of that leave you with? Still an awful lot, it seems.

Alicia's solo take on 'Empire State...' is a fine companion piece to the Jay-Z hit, one which teases out the brilliance of her own contribution and adds an extra layer to it. Despite its stripped-back, 'broken down' piano arrangement, this is no wimpy cousin. Just like Jigga's rhymes, Keys's sung verses pack a fair punch as a beautifully sentimental but still uncompromising ode to NYC ("On the avenue/ There ain't never a curfew/ Ladies work so hard/ Such a melting pot on the corner selling rock/ Preachers pray to God"). It might not quite live up to the peerless original, but there's very little shame in that.


> Click here to read our review of Alicia Keys's album