I never really got into Alicia Keys when she was making a big splash in the 2000’s. While I appreciated her singer-songwriter chops and her use of classical piano in an modern soul setting, ultimately she just wasn’t making the kind of music I like. R&B has always been one of my blind spots.

I’ve come to appreciate Keys more in recent years thanks to her charming work as host of the Grammys. She is so earnest, positive and full of love that it’s hard to remain cynical in the face of her infectious brightness.

That appreciation for the woman hasn’t translated to her music, however. I still haven’t listened to any of her seven studio albums apart from a little time spent with her first two releases when they came out.

It’s her sophomore effort, The Diary of Alicia Keys, that’s earned a spot in my look at the albums of 2003.

This follow-up to her 2001 smash Songs in A Minor, became a massive hit in its own right, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide and going 5X Platinum in the U.S.

If I were into this kind of music, I’d probably love The Diary of Alicia Keys. This is a well-crafted batch of songs. I can’t say it any better than a Slant Magazine article which praised the album for its “deft mix of modernism and classicism, not to mention street and class.”

Hip hop and R&B textures bumping up against classical piano runs is indeed a unique and attention-grabbing alchemy.

‘If I Ain’t Got You,’ one of Keys’ biggest hits, remains the standout track. Keys says she was inspired to write the track by the death of Aaliyah in 2001.