Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II ) Broken Down .

Just one week after releasing her fourth studio album 'The Element of Freedom,' Alicia Keys -- often described as a not-so-delicate powerhouse of talent (thanks to her ability on the keys coupled with a tomboy-like "swagger") warmed up our studio with a quiet ardor. "You can find your strength in being a little more gentle you know," the singer says of her new project that features ballads about undeniable, and sometimes crippling love [see: 'Love is My Disease']. "I think that a lot of my approach with this record was a little bit more gentle and not necessarily consciously, but it does come through like that."

The pianist/singer-songwriter dressed in all black gave a mini-concert of sorts and performed a mix of old and new tunes, including singles 'Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart,' 'Unthinkable (I'm Ready)' and her smoothed-out rendition of 'Empire State of Mind.'