Although I've already seen Alicia Keys at an unforgettable 2004 music concert, I decided to buy her third album, "Alicia Keys: Unplugged", simply because I'm a big fan of hers. Hell, just to hear her vibrantly soulful vocals further enliven R&B/Soul classics like "Fallin'", "You Don't Know My Name" & "If I Ain't Got You" was well worth the money I forked out to purchase this album. "Alicia Keys: Unplugged", which temporarily revives MTV's long-gone "Unplugged" series, further testifies to Alicia Keys' immense talent as a singer, songwriter and musician. Unfortunately, this album does not live up to the greatness of its two predecessors ("Songs In A Minor" - 2001, "The Diary Of Alicia Keys" - 2004).

That doesn't necessarily mean that this album is terrible because it's anything but. Alicia Keys consistently sounds as soulful, powerful, emotional and captivating as she's always been -especially on "Fallin'", "If I Ain't Got You" & "A Woman's Worth"- but I was hoping that she'd apply some more creativity and/or effort into the musical and/or instrumental arrangements. Apart from the "the stripped-down "You Don't Know My Name" and the insightful soul ballad "Diary", which chucks in a laid-back flute, the songs hardly sound any different from their original forms. I guess she preferred to stick to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" theory this time `round.

Another thing that I disliked about this album was its lack of new material. Yes, lead single "Unbreakable" is a beautiful R&B/Soul tune, but with all the name-dropping going on in the lyrics, I find it hard to find out what she's really talking about. The only other solid new tune on this 16-track-long disc is "Stolen Moments", another beautiful R&B/Soul ballad where Alicia Keys ponders on the beginnings of her loving relationship and grandly urges to her lover "lets get away" over a beautiful assortment of horns, flute and percussion. Apart from hits and songs from her past, as well as a guest-festive celebration with Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley & others on the album-closing tracks "Love It Leave It Alone" & Damian Marley's "Welcome To Jamrock", the rest of the songs consist of covers (Branda Holloway's piano-driven "Every Little Bit Hurts" & "Prince's "You Don't Know My Name"). However, there's no denying the sheer sublimeness and brilliance of her piano-driven duet with Maroon 5's Adam Levine on their cover of the Rolling Stone's "Wild Horses", which beautifully converts a Rock song into a spiritually exploratory R&B/Soul classic. Ditto in terms of brilliance for "Streets If New York (City Life)", a stunning piece of deeply thought-provoking poetry over a beautifully arranged melange of moody instrumentals.

The final problem I had with this album was with her lacklustre performances of "Heartburn" & "Karma". It's a shame that she started off a great show on the wrong foot by turning two beautiful songs into vocal trainwrecks, especially after beautifully opening the show with "Alicia's Prayer (Acapella Intro)".

Nonetheless, this is a great CD and is well worth the purchase, despite its flaws. It's solid proof of Alicia Keys' raw talent to the haters and misinformed individuals who believe otherwise. 4 stars!