Supergroups & Alicia Keys Review

Jim and Greg explore the history of the Supergroup. Plus they review the new album from "Girl on Fire" Alicia Keys.

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Supergroups

This week Jim and Greg ponder the history of the Supergroup. This is the rock phenomenon where musicians from different bands blend together to form a new group. Take one 1 guitar virtuoso, sprinkle in a legendary drummer and add a dash of star singing-sometimes this is a great success, and sometimes the ingredients just don't mix. Recently there have been a number of new supergroups such as The Good, the Bad and the Queen, Them Crooked Vultures, Tinted Windows, Dead Weather and Monsters of Folk. For Jim the keys to a winning supergroup are that the members be individually "super," and that they have chemistry together. Greg adds that there needs to be something especially compelling about the super-union for it to be more than just business.

Here are some hits and misses throughout history:

  • Traveling Wilburys
  • Chickenfoot
  • Million Dollar Quartet
  • Cream
  • Blind Faith
  • Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young)
  • UK
  • Golden Palomino
  • Electronic
  • Temple of the Dog
  • Audioslave
  • Lucy Pearl

Songs in A Minor Alicia Keys

Girl On Fire

Since sweeping the Grammys in 2002 with her debut album, Songs in A Minor, some things have changed for piano pop star Alicia Keys. She's married to producer  Swizz Beatz and has a young son named Egypt. Alicia might be a "Brand New Me," but on her fifth studio album, Girl on Fire, she's out to convince us that she's still "red hot." Does she succeed? Unfortunately, Greg says there's no spark here. While there's no questions Keys has chops, and she's heavily involved in the songwriting, album number five still doesn't let us in on who this pop diva really is. He adds that Alicia reminds him of a talented pro-athlete who, when faced with an interviewer, spouts mindless clich'es. Jim agrees-there's no soul here. Girl on Fire is a piece of pop product circa 2012, and it gets a double Trash It.

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