Alicia Keys debuts three versions of single ‘Girl on Fire’ [Listen]

Alicia Keys is offering fans plenty of options with her latest single, “Girl on Fire,� by simultaneously releasing three versions of the song.

Her “choose your favorite version� approach for the single -- the title track to her forthcoming album, due out Nov. 27 -- comes in the form of the original and a two-part suite: an “Inferno� remix featuring Nicki Minaj and a stripped-down “Blue Light� version.

Keys’ strength has largely been her ballads, especially the sweeping, dramatic numbers where she gives her powerful vocals the space to run amok over anthemic hooks. “Girl on Fire� fits nicely into that pocket.

Built on the heavy drums of Billy Squier’s “The Big Beat� (the “Inferno� version has an added bit of thump), Keys delivers a fierce battle cry atop a fast-building, yet simplistic hook. “This girl is on fire,� she belts. “Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame, so bright, she can burn your eyes.�

The version most fit for pop radio? The original, as it offers a nice throwback to another of her bombastic assaults, 2007’s smash “No One.� However, Minaj’s guest spot, and its two effortlessly fluid verses, might get more attention.

But overlooking the stripped-down “Blue Light� edition would be unfortunate as it’s the most intoxicating of the three. Backed by dripping synths and light chord progressions, Key’s smoky delivery presents the empowering lyrics with a greater sense of urgency. The “Blue Light� version dips into the sensual side of the singer last heard on her sleeper hit “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready).�

Keys is set to perform some version of the single on the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday.

Listen to both suites below.

The Nicki Minaj “Inferno� remix:

The stripped-down “Blue Light� edition: