MTV resurrected its “Unplugged” series—dormant since 2002—because Alicia Keys asked it to. The network’s consent seems like a bad decision, made only to indulge a star. “Unplugged” used to offer a change of pace, a proving ground perhaps, to artists like Nirvana or Jay-Z who rarely let their music go au naturel. But Keys and her baby grand are pretty unplugged to begin with. What could the unprocessed princess of piano-and-soul give us on “Unplugged” that she hasn’t given us already?

Plenty. The format is a chance to take note of Alicia, over and above the keys. Yes, she plays piano—alongside horns and string sections, no less—but this set, recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in July, is a triumph of vocals: A casual, intimate concert affords Keys the freedom to add emotional intensity to tracks that are emotional landmines to begin with. She oozes sincerity. “I don’t care if I sing this song a hundred thousand trillion billion times—I feel that same way every time,” she says, introducing “If I Ain’t Got You.” The original song is an evocative declaration of dependence, but here she belts out her devotion, no holds barred. And devotion is her domain: Keys seems most herself when she’s proudly, confidently holding down her man.

She can also run a broader gamut of emotions: Pain (on a gut-wrenching cover of “Every Little Bit Hurts,” popularized by Aretha Franklin), wrath (on “Karma,” which sounds fiercer than ever, thanks to blasting horns and frenetic violins), passion (when joined by vanilla soul brother Adam Levine of Maroon 5 for a stirring cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses”). About the only thing Keys can’t do well is shamelessly name-drop—it belies her unpretentious image—but she slips up on “Unbreakable,” one of two new tracks. Lyrics like “We could act out like Will and Jada/Or like Kimora and Russell, makin’ paper” dampen this tepid love song. It’s the only misstep on a stellar set proving one of two things: that Keys’s sincerity routine is no routine—or that if it is, the routine is convincing, cathartic and catchy enough to make folks forget it’s fake.

DOWNLOAD: “Karma,” “Wild Horses,” “If I Ain’t Got You”