I will never understand why a LEGITIMATE SINGER/SONGWRITER AND MUSICIAN would want to collaborate with a manufactured, industry barbie doll like Beyonce. I know people are mystefied be her persona and love to watch her gyrate and pulsate all over the stage like she's having an epileptic seizure,but let's be real,musically Beyonce does not come close to Alicia Keyes.

Alicia Keyes writes and co-composes almost all of her songs. Beyonce steals,uh,I mean buys songs from real writers and casually puts her name on them as though she came up with the concepts and wrote the lyrics all on her own. She has taken credit for songs that were not necessarily hers to take credit for(Irreplaceable,Resentment,If I Were A Boy and I'm sure the list goes on).

Alicia Keyes creates classics that are also hits (and is not afraid to release them as singles: "Fallin","How Come You Don't Call Me","A Womans Worth","You Don't Know My Name","No One", "Like You'll Never See Me Again"(can't yet name anything from her current album). These are all songs that ten years from now people will still want to hear and will still feel something(meaningful) when they do hear them. Beyonce records hits that have no chance of becoming classics:"Crazy in Love","Baby Boy","Naughty Girl","DejaVu","Ring the Alarm","Single Ladies","Diva","Ego"(the very titles of these songs scream catchy and trendy but shallow and meaningless) and any song that Beyonce has recorded that may actually have classic potential,she has not formally released as a single. Yes, she released "If I Were a Boy" but AGAIN she stole that song from someone else. She did not write it.

Alicia Keyes is a musician;a classically trained pianist who can sing her butt off(w/out screaming like a nut). She also carries herself and her craft with dignity and class. She's a refreshing,different yet acceptable alternative to what is more or less an industry full of cookie cutter artists. Beyonce(the biggest cookie of them all) is extremely ambitious and driven but the reason for her massive fame is not her drive or her talent. It is her marketability. Her naive market and her ability to sell sex. The fact that there are parents out there who think it's cute to watch their daughters immulate Beyonce disturbs me,considering her stage persona(Sasha Fierce) is the equivalent of a stripper or street walker.

Alicia Keyes has written for other artists;formidable artists like Whitney Houston("Million Dollar Bill") and Christina Aguillera("Impossible",which I love). Beyonce can barely write a real song for herself let alone another artist.

Alicia Keyes is a modern day soul singer who has successfully crossed over,and has become more commercial because of her crossover appeal(the norm for any Clive Davis find, eg. Whitney,Fantasia,Jennifer). Beyonce is an urban pop singer who for some strange reason has been put on this massive pedestal(I'm really beginning to think she may have sold her soul).

Lastly, although Alicia Keyes has not been in as many movies as Beyonce,the roles that she has had have showcased her as a versatile and very capable actress. She is actually believable in her roles and does not sound as though she's reading her lines. Beyonce has gotten and for some strange reason continues to get cast in films because of her popularity and prestige,NOT because of her skills as an actress because she has none.

In closing, Alicia Keyes' collaboration with Beyonce depreciates and devalues her artistry,as proven by the clip above(why in the hell is Alicia immulating Beyonce's stage/video antics). First Lady Ga Ga,now Alicia. Beyonce is a talented vocalist and she has made a living and a name for herself doing what she does;but when artists who are clearly more interesting and enigmatic(Ga Ga)and more innovative and timeless(Alicia) begin dumbing down their craft to collaborate with someone typical and predictable(Beyonce) something is wrong. Again, I just don't understand it.