Alicia Keys flies pretty under the radar for a superstar of her caliber. I mean, she’s sold arguably more records than any female artist this decade (with the exception of Britney Spears, but then again, putting “Britney Spears” and “artist” in the same sentence is considered sacrilege in some parts), but she manages to keep her name out of the tabloids. She doesn’t have the “wow” factor of a Beyonce, for instance, but she’s certainly more talented. She’s also cultivated quite a successful side career as a writer/producer, composing for Mario, Christina Aguilera, Nas and Whitney Houston, among others. And she’s won TWELVE Grammy Awards. Jeezus!!

Anyway, Alicia’s fourth studio album is due in December, and the first single from it is a ditty called “Doesn’t Mean Anything”. It has surface similarities to “No One”, which was the first single from her last album, “As I Am”. Similar piano riff, similar anthemic chorus. With that said, though, it’s a pretty strong song. Each of her albums has been better than the one that preceded it, and this song is a good sign that her forthcoming work will be her strongest yet.

Let us know what you think.