First, the bad news: Alicia Keys has a new single called “Show Me Love,” but it is not a Robyn cover. Even more sadly, it’s not a Robin S. cover. If you’re going to record a song called “Show Me Love,” it should be either a Robyn or a Robin S. cover. Those two singers with nearly identical names did not score competing identically-titled dance-pop ’90s hits so that other singers could then come along and use the “Show Me Love” title with impunity.
But there is also good news: Alicia Keys’ “Show Me Love” is a good song. And there’s further good news: Alicia Keys’ “Show Me Love” represents a sort of summit meeting of people involved in making gorgeous big-tent soul music at this late date. Keys’ “Show Me Love” is a duet with Miguel, the kind of person who needs to be singing duets with Alicia Keys. And as Pitchfork points out, the song features guitar from Raphael Saadiq, a man who has been making graceful and beautiful neo-soul since the late ’80s, when it was basically still just soul.
“Show Me Love” is a graceful, stripped-back track about two people surrendering to each other. Keys co-wrote it with Migues, Tory Lanez, and someone named Morgan Matthews. (Google tells me that Matthews is either a relatively inexperienced R&B producer or a character from Boy Meets World; hazard your own guesses.) Keys and Matthews co-produced the song. It’s pretty. Listen to it below.
“Show Me Love” is out now on the streaming services. Alicia Keys hosted this year’s Grammys, but she hasn’t released an album since 2016’s Here.
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