Alicia Keys As I Am CD Review
New Album Proves No One Blends Hip-Hop, R&B and Jazz Like Keys
Alicia Keys' new album, "As I Am", reveals a more mature singer-songwriter ready to tackle the music world once more with her blend of hip-hop, R&B and Jazz.
Few artists these days are as bankable as Alicia Keys. Her first 2 albums Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys have sold over 17 million copies.
Following in the same vein as her first 2 albums, Alicia Keys expands her blend of R&B, hip-hop, classical and jazz sound and continues to mature on new CD As I Am.
Partnering once again with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, (Mario, Angie Stone, Nas), who produced her first 2 albums, Keys co-wrote 5 of the 14 tracks and co-produced As I Am along with Jeff Robinson and Peter Edge.
On her new record, the flollow up to an in between Unplugged album, Alicia Keys sounds not only more mature, but also more personal. “Everything I learned, everything I yearned for has been placed in these songs,” she writes in the liner notes.
Her honesty and new-found ability to completely expose her emotions shines through every track. Many of the songs on As I Am reveal a woman in control of her life, unwilling to sacrifice what she needs, especially on tracks like 'Go Ahead' and 'Superwoman', co-written with Linda Perry (Celine Dion, Christina Aguiliera).
No One Tops Charts
Showstopper 'No One' has topped the charts for numerous months in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Sung unconditionally, Alicia Keys belts out one of the most gut-wrenching songs of her career.
“When the rain is pouring down/ and my heart is hurting/ you will always be around” she sings “you and me together/ through the days and nights/ I don’t worry cause everything’s gonna be alright”. A confident song both musically and vocally that infuses a warped synth, adding an extra punch of originality to this beautiful and melancholy track.
Follow up single, 'Like You’ll Never See Me Again', already climbing the charts, is a straight forward R&B masterpiece. While not as strong as Grammy nominated 'No One', it has the potential to become another in a long string of Alicia Keys hit singles.
Guitar sprinkled ballad 'Lesson Learned' which features John Mayer, who also co-wrote the song, is an example of the control and restraint Keys has on her voice and music. While she could have gone completely over the top on this number, overemphasizing her vocal abilities as so many have done in the past, Keys allows the song to slowly build to a gentle climax, then brings it back down with style and class.
Superwoman Remains True to Self
'Wreckless Love', 'I Need You' and 'Where do We Go From Here' infuse harder hip hop beats, deeper bass and horns that show her deep-seated R&B and Hip-Hop influences and keep her connected to the street savvy youth powering radio today.
But it is on her signature voice/ piano tracks that Alicia Keys sounds most comfortable and true to herself. Songs like 'The Thing about Love', a gospel inspired track about not giving up in life and love, and album closer, the bitter sweet 'Sure Looks Good to Me', another Linda Perry collaboration about surrendering completely to true love.
While not all the songs on this album have the quality of 'No One'” and the stunning 'Sure Looks Good to Me', the package works as a whole. And even a less than stellar Alicia Keys track by far outshines much of the music bouncing around the airwaves these days.
