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album review
By now established as a major and talented force in the mainstream music world, Alicia Keys has perhaps earned the right to explore a little, to venture into new genres while still keeping a foot firmly planted in the R&B/neo-soul she grew out of. On her third full-length, As I Am, Keys takes a step closer toward the soul revival popularized by John Legend, with full-band arrangements and bright horn hooks, only occasionally falling back into the piano/melisma combination that drove the singles off her first two albums. Instead, here, as evidenced in "No One" -- which sounds all too ready to take on a "reggae dance mix" -- the guitar-driven "I Need You," "Wreckless Love," or "Where Do We Go from Here," which pays tribute to both Stax and Motown ("All I can do/Is follow the tracks of my tears," she sings, after a sample of Wendy Rene's "After Laughter [Comes Tears]" crackles through the first few bars), this is music that owes as much to pop as it does R&B, highlighted no less by the fact that the queen of radio rock herself, Linda Perry, co-writes three of the songs with Keys, including the straight-from-the-Stripped-sessions "The Thing About Love" and "Superwoman." It is on the latter, in fact, that Keys, unsurprisingly, turns furthest away from the style that brought her initial success (more so even than on the John Mayer collabo, "Lesson Learned," which is actually not bad) toward the generic-pop world, sliding in between corny and sincere, sometimes even in the same breath. "When I'm breaking down/And I can't be found/...'Cause no one knows/Me underneath these clothes/But I can fly/We can fly," she sings in the bridge, flatly. Keys has never been a brilliant lyricist, but she's always been able to write simple yet affective and honest words that don't seem trite, something that is forgotten here, and makes the track one of the weakest on the album. Fortunately, this doesn't happen too often, and as As I Am weaves its way through the drums and various keyboards and vocal harmonies that make up the backbone of her work here, punctuated by the great, hooky melodies and strings, you get the impression that this is in fact the sign of an artist who's not content to only follow the path that's brought her previous acclaim, an artist who's looking to find more, both about herself and her music, and an artist who carries these developments, these insights, with her. And so even though As I Am is a flawed work -- a little too poppy, a little too clichéd -- it is also indicative of what Keys can and will do, and that she is someone, thanks to her curiosity, intelligence, and natural talent, who will be able to mature and grow for years to come. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- The Diary Of Alicia Keys
- Released 2003
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- No One (Radio Edit)
- Released 2007
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- Songs In A Minor
- Released 2001
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- Doesn't Mean Anything (Single)
- Released 2009
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listener reviews
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Truly great artist
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- By TallRoderick46
- 11/7/2009 13:57:45
- I will purchase this album as I have purchased all of her music.
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MELODISMELODY
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- By MYMELODISMELODY
- 11/7/2009 08:01:08
- ALICIA AND I MUST BE RELATED SOME WAY,HER MUSICAL TALENTS ARE BEYOUND REPROCHE.THEY'VE BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES AND JOY TO MY HEART.SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A CAGED BIRD...YOU GO GIRL!
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She is the best...........
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- By Abizzy412
- 5/6/2009 20:52:16
- Ever since she came out with Songs in a Minor i have been a huge fan of hers... I love her music she speaks the truth in all her songs mainly in Lesson Learned i know what she meant in that.
By. Toya - 1 out of 1 people
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As I Am
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- By dinaki1
- 5/25/2008 03:15:22
- Very good album and Miss Alicia Keys surely knows to sing.<br/> Recommended to all Zuners!
- 2 out of 2 people
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Amazing
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- By LanSlyde
- 5/9/2008 18:10:25
- an amazing album and I dont even like r&b like that. But this album here was amazing from start to finish. I recomend this to anyone.
- 2 out of 2 people
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Great!
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- By Music2MyMelody
- 5/8/2008 00:40:39
- Man...I am a fiend for some Alicia. She brought it with this album, I listen to it straight through everytime. If you haven't purchased this album, do her a favor...go and get it now! It's worth the money!
- 1 out of 1 people
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top listeners
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- 139 plays
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