Are you in love tonight?" asked Alicia Keys of her sold-out Staples Center audience last night in Los Angeles, the fourth stop on her North American arena tour. It was early in a night of affection and uplift from the singer, as she sat alone at the piano for a delicate and emotional "Not Even the King."
The song is from last year's Girl on Fire, and it was co-written with British singer Emeli Sandé. Keys has been calling it her favorite song, and she sings its simple message of feeling over profit most nights to her two-year-old son: "What good is a castle surrounded by people/But ain't got a friend that's not on the payroll?"
At 32, Keys is already a dozen years into her career, still operating with a sensibility both hip-hop modern and rooted in the best traditions of classic American soul. She opened her two-hour performance with a few jazzy, smoldering moments of "Empire State of Mind," her collaboration with Jay-Z, which would bookend the night with endless awe and dedication for her hometown.
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