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Alicia Keys: Girl on Fire

Holly Gleason, Paste, 4 December 2012

WITH A FEW CAREFULLY CONSIDERED piano notes, 'De Novo Adagio' reminds fans of soul diva Alicia Keys' classical roots and sets the stage for an album that reaches beyond obvious anthems ('Empire State of Mind', 'Fallin'') for a new urbanity, offering a variety of moods, notions, even introspection. Fear not, fans of ubiquity! Girl On Fire's title track, especially the Inferno Version with rap from fashion-freak Nicki Minaj, throbs from radios everywhere, hook thrusting with the mindless sloganeering that eradicates hope for deeper meaning.

Total word count of piece: 425

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