Alicia Keys Tries for Another Classic Video

WHO: Alicia Keys
WHAT: "No One"
WHY: Alicia Keys has two up-and-down classic videos to her name and both feature rapper-actors giving memorable performances as the object of her affection: "If I Ain't Got You" starring Method Man and "You Don't Know My Name" with Mos Def. The clip for her new single does not feature a rapper-actor and it is far from a classic. The concept: Alicia Keys is pretty. We've heard worse — she is an attractive woman and all — but the clip's manicured, posed style stifles her natural vibrancy. As the glorified photo shoot spins along, we get some head-bashing literalism (cut to Alicia playing a piano in a wet alley for the line "when the rain is falling down," cut to a close-up of a custom watch for the line "til the end of time") and some genius/terrible product placement with a shot of a Sony TV playing the video (pictured). Picture-in-picture! Ugh. A tip: For the next video, consider recruiting T.I. — the man can act.